Hellbound
by DragonShadow
Summary: Powerpuff Girls crossover. the world is put in danger when the spies unknowingly remove the world's saviors from action, and a demon from the depths of Hell moves in to take over.
1. The Mission

Part 1: The Mission

The night was calm, giving away no hint of misdeeds or wrongdoings. The sales of the day hadn't been too good, but that didn't stop the store owner from having a smile on his face as he readied himself to cut out for the night. The night had been calm at least, the perfect atmosphere in which to just relax and take a break. 

No sooner did he turn to leave than the front door of the store exploded inward, slamming into the ground amid the shattered glass that had once been its window. "Hey, what the heck!?" The store manager stared in shock at the door that had just missed hitting him by inches. 

Three tiny figured stepped through the door, with huge head and broad grins on their faces. "Knock knock." The red one in the middle said darkly. "Still open? Good." 

"Now hold on, you can't just break in here, no matter what kind of freaks you are." The store manager replied angrily. "I'm calling the police if you don't leave." 

"A threat..." The three boys busted up laughing, then turned their eerily large eyes on him. A shiver ran down the store manager's spine as he took a few steps back. "We don't respond well to threats." Without warning the three figures lurched forward amid flashes of red, green, and blue light.

* * *

Beverly Hills, the land of sunshine, money and promises. A girl's dream home... except of course during those few occasions when rainstorms decided to crop of and wash all those dreams down the drain. That's exactly what it felt like to Clover as she sat at her bedroom window and stared out at the gloomy gray rainfall. She didn't even have Sam and Alex there to alleviate the boredom. 

"Clover, we're still best friends, but we all need time alone sometimes. Time to just kick back without any distractions, think, and relax." Sam had told her after school that morning. Clover had agreed, but really she would have rather gone shopping with them. What could possibly be more relaxing than that? 

One hand grabbed the phone off the windowsill where she'd put it several minutes ago and dialed. She waited for several minutes until the answering machine came on. "No, Clover, I am not ready to go to the mall or something. Now please, it's hard to relax with you calling every five seconds." Sam's irritated voice came back. "Anyone else, talk after the tone." 

Clover grumbled and hung up, throwing the phone over her shoulder. It landed on the bed with a soft thud. She stood up and marched to her bathroom, turning on the shower before beginning to peel her clothes off. If Sam and Alex wouldn't respond to her today, she had might as well prepare for tomorrow. Maybe they would be feeling better then. 

Clover stepped into the shower and started rinsing herself off. The mugginess of the rain had been destroying her skin since they'd left school, especially since she'd forgotten her umbrella that morning. The cleansing shower water felt fantastic. 

She was actually starting to feel better when she grabbed the specially formulated shampoo and poured some into her open palm. She rubbed it into her hair, sending bubbles raining down to the shower floor. Suddenly she heard a soft click underneath her and she froze where she was. 

"No... he wouldn't..." Clover looked down slowly. The drain's grate had slid open, and suddenly the rest of the floor followed suit. Clover screamed as she plummeted down the tube to slam into the cold steel of Jerry's office, the water from the shower still raining on her as she laid face down on the floor. She could hear a pair of barely contained laughs from her side. 

"Jerry, if you don't tell us that world is ending in five seconds, I am so going to kill you for this." Clover growled darkly. 

"Relax Clover, everything I call you for is a potentially world-altering emergency." Jerry grabbed a towel off of his desk and threw it at her. She snatched it out of the air and wrapped it around herself before pushing herself to a sitting position. She still had soap in her hair and was sopping wet though, totally miserable. And a glance at Sam and Alex showed that they were now more focused on Jerry... best friends indeed. 

"Now, down to business." Jerry snapped his fingers and a large screen opened behind him, displayed a map of the USA. "There have been a series of strange robberies, fifteen to be exact. Including one at the first national bank." Fifteen lights lit up on the map, spread out all over the country. 

"Robberies!?" Clover growled angrily. "You called us here for some petty thieves!? I thought we were spies, not police officers!" 

"Yeah Jerr, this is kind of out of our jurisdiction isn't it?" Sam asked. 

"Normally yes. But these robberies all happened within one night, and from reports, by the same three perpetrators." Jerry replied. 

"They must have one killer car." Alex commented. 

"How do you know they're the same perpetrators?" Sam asked. 

"Because in most of the incidents it occurred too fast for the security cameras to catch them, but in a few we get clear pictures. And they've been positively identified by all of the victims." Jerry gestured to the screen, and video from a small convenience store began rolling. 

The girls watched as an employee walked toward the door, only to have the door suddenly blow inward almost on top of him. Three tiny figured stepped through the now open door. They had small bodies, huge heads, and when they raised their hands they didn't even seem to have any fingers. The camera was kind of fuzzy, so it was difficult to make out more than that. Suddenly the figures seemed to vanish in balls of light right before the camera went dead. 

"Whoa, major freakshow." Alex exclaimed. 

"Obviously, these things are neither human nor animal. And as you know, genetic experimentation is illegal no matter where it's done." Jerry turned off the monitor and turned toward the girls. "Your mission is to find out who created these things, and bring them to justice. And if you can, contain these things before they go on any more countrywide crime sprees." 

"Got it." Sam nodded. 

"Now, for your gadgets." Jerry approached his desk, from which a small assortment of gadgets rose. "Scanner Watches. Nightvision Sunglasses. Butterfly Barrette Bombs. Jetpack Backpacks. Hairpick Lockpicks. Liquid Nitrogen Breathspray. Feline Streamline Catsuits, now with stealth capabilities. And a new one, the Tranquilizer Hairbow." He picked up a small bow from the desk, holding it up to show the girls. It was bright red, with frilly white trim. 

"Who's your gadget designer? Barbie?" Clover quipped irritably. 

"I think it's cute." Alex replied. 

"Simply press in the center, and a dart fires out of the tips. It's powerful enough to bring down any normal sized man with one dart." He picked up the gadgets and threw them at the girls, who caught them with ease. "Good luck girls, you're off to the site of the last attack." He pressed a button on the desk and the girls plunged through the floor screaming.

* * *

The small shop on the edge of a place called Citiesville had been the last place hit last night. All that was taken was three pretzels, three cold sodas, and three hot-dogs. But from the look of the store, it should have been caught at ground zero of a nuclear blast. The entire building was completely demolished, there wasn't one piece bigger than their fist. 

"Wow, petty thieves with a serious attitude." Alex quipped as she kicked at a small piece of the rubble. 

"Seriously. I guess theft isn't worth it unless there's at least ten thousand dollars in property damage." Sam stroked her chin thoughtfully before kneeling down to sift through the rubble. 

"How could someone do this even if they wanted to?" Alex picked up one of the solid steel beams that had previous held up the roof. "They were supposedly unarmed." 

"Jerry said they're not human, and after seeing this I believe him." Sam lifted her arm and tapped her Scanner Watch, which beeped and sent a soft ray of light sweeping over the rubble. "The Scanner Watch should be able to pick up anything out of the ordinary." They waited for a few moments for the scan to finish, until the watch finally beeped. 

Sam and Alex gathered around to stare down at the results as Sam read them off. "Human DNA, pig DNA, cockroach DNA, rat DNA..." 

"Okay, ewe. Remind me never to shop here... you know, once it's rebuilt." Alex told the others with a wry smirk. 

"Whoa. There's a substance here that the watch can't identify." Sam tapped the watch, then pushed herself to her feet and looked back at her companions. "Either this guy was dealing in something more dangerous than hot-dogs or our thieves are some serious pieces of work." She looked down and pulled her compowder open. "I'm going to send this data to Jerry, see what he makes of it." 

"While Jerry analyzes this stuff, what should we do?" Alex asked curiously. 

"Interview the owner, see what he can tell us about his attackers." Sam replied.

* * *

Sam knocked on the door loudly, stepping back to wait with her partners and good friends for the door to open. They waited for several minutes, with Clover tapping her foot impatiently on the ground. Finally the doorknob turned with all the speed of a turtle sliding down a hill and the door slid open a crack, revealing one bloodshot eyeball staring out at them. A chain kept the door from opening any wider. 

"Y... yes? What is it?" The man's voice cracked as he spoke, and the eye jerked back and forth between the three girls. 

Sam cleared her throat and put on a fake smile. "I'm Sam. These are my colleagues Alex and Clover, from the National Daily News. We'd like to speak to you about the incident at your store last night." The eye stared at her, unblinking, for several more minutes. 

"Go away. There was no incident." The door slammed shut suddenly, leaving the girls staring dumbfounded at the door. 

"Man, these things totally freaked him out." Alex commented. 

"Hmm... maybe one of the other victims would prove more useful." Sam turned to walk away from the small house, with her friends following behind her. Clover had seemed unusually quiet since they'd left Jerry's office. Well, it wasn't Sam's place to pry. Maybe she was still embarrassed from the timing of her WOOHP experience. Sam knew she would be more paranoid about bathing for a while too. 

The beeping of her compowder snapped her out of her thoughts. She grabbed it and pulled it open, looking down at it with Alex peering over her shoulder. "Find out anything Jerr?" 

"It looks like the substance you sent in is a combination of things. But the primary ingredient seems to be a rare chemical created by an independent professor in Townsville U.S.A. called Chemical-X." Jerry told them as his fingers flew over the keyboard in front of him. 

"Independent professor? Sounds like mad scientist material to me." Alex quipped. Sam nodded in agreement, but Clover ignored the conversation altogether. 

"I'm sending you his exact address. Be careful spies, his creations are obviously extremely dangerous, and should be approached with caution." Jerry cautioned them. 

"We've got it covered Jerr." Sam closed her compowder and looked over at her friends. "It's time we pay the good Professor a little visit and see how he responds."

* * *

"Professsooooooor!" Bubbles' scream echoed through the Utonium household as she streaked through the living room toward the kitchen, tailed by her brunette haired sister. "Buttercup burned up my drawing of a kitty cat with bright orange fur and beautiful blue eyes and cute little white polka dots with red paws and..." Bubbles was interrupted by her sister. 

"Well she cooked my meat! Now I don't have a punching bag!" Buttercup complained, glaring at her blonde-haired sister. 

"I did not cook your meat! You probably did, so you could eat it!" Bubbles retorted. 

"Eat it!? I would rather shove it up your-" Buttercup was interrupted by a voice that was gentle, but carried absolute authority over all three girls. 

"Now girls, are a few possessions worth this? Bubbles, you have plenty of pictures and can make lots of new, even prettier ones. And Buttercup, there's more meat in the freezer." Professor Utonium stared down at them. Buttercup huffed and crossed her arms over her chest while Bubbles stared up at him in delight. 

"You're right... I'll go make another one!" She giggled and streaked up the living room stares to the bedroom. Buttercup growled and turned to float away, but the Professor put a hand on her shoulder. 

"Buttercup, what have I told you about starting fights with Bubbles?" He asked. Buttercup ignored him, staring away from him irritably. "One of these days you're going to wind up regretting being so angry with her." 

"Yeah whatever." Buttercup retorted irritably. 

Professor Utonium sighed and pushed her gently toward the stairs. "Head up to get ready for bed, and tell your sisters to do the same thing." Buttercup silently floated up the stairs, with the professor trudging into the living room to plop down on the couch. No sooner had he settled down than he heard the doorbell. 

With a soft sigh he pushed himself up and walked up to the door, pulling it open. He blinked in surprise when he saw three girls staring at him, wearing formal blouses and skirts. The redhead was even wearing a pair of round-rimmed glasses. 

The redhead spoke first. "Hello, Professor Utonium? I'm Samantha, with the Science Committee of Ethics. These are my associates, Clover and Alex. If you don't mind, we would like to ask you a few questions." 

"Not at all, come on in." Professor Utonium stepped back to let the three girls walk into the living room. 

"Whoa, talk about retro." Alex commented appreciatively. The Professor led them to the couch, where they sat down and watched him take a seat in the chair across from them. 

"What kind of questions are these?" The Professor asked. 

"Just a few survey questions." Sam cleared her throat and took out a small clipboard. "Now, what are you views on cloning?" 

"Well I-" The Professor was interrupted by a voice from upstairs. 

"Professor! Buttercup's spraying me with toothpaste!" A high-pitched voice squealed angrily. 

"I am not!" Another, lower-pitch voice called back. 

The Professor flashed the three girls an apologetic smile. "If you'll excuse me, I should put my daughters to bed. I'll just be a moment." 

"No problem at all." Sam replied. The three girls watched the professor walk up the stairs and disappear into the back of the house. "He doesn't seem like your typical mad scientist bent on taking over the world." 

"Maybe he's not mad? He could just be insane, and his creations are sneaking out on their own to take over the world and present it to him as a Father's Day gift." Alex speculated thoughtfully. Clover and Sam stared at her for a moment, then shook their heads. 

"Well I don't see anything out of the ordinary. Maybe Jerry was wrong about him being the only person with access to the chemi-" Sam was cut off when a beam of blue light shot through the ceiling above them, slamming into the coffee table with enough force to split it into splinters. The three spies shrieked and leapt to their feet, backing away as a figure very much like the ones from the video pushed itself to its feet. 

"You... you... stupid doodoo brain!" the girl streaked into the air with a flash of blue light, vanishing back into the hole from which it had come. The spies exchanged one significant glance, not even having to say that they'd just found the key evidence they wee looking for. This professor was definitely involved somehow. But were these girls the thieves? 

Eventually the noises upstairs faded and Professor Utonium descended the stairs again, giving the spies an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about the interruption. Shall we continue?" 

"No thank you sir, I think we're going to have to postpone. It's getting kind of late." Sam stood up, with her friends following suit quickly. "We'll get in touch with you later." 

"Alright, I'm available any time." The Professor led them to the door and closed it behind them, leaving them standing outside. 

"Okay, we know who it is. Now we have to figure out how to neutralize those girls. They're way too dangerous to deal with head-on." Sam told her friends as they walked away from the house. 

"Enough!" Clover screamed suddenly, startling her two friends. They stared at her like she'd gone insane, but Clover just stared at them red-faced. "I'm getting tired of sitting here listening to you two ramble on among yourselves and leaving me out!" 

"Um... you're the one who's been quiet this whole time." Alex replied. 

"Because I didn't want to BOTHER you! You didn't even care when Jerry decided to sneak me away like some kind of pervert. Right after you decided we needed 'time apart'." 

"Clover, can we talk about this later please?" Sam asked irritably. She reached around and pulled her backpack off so she could rummage through it. 

"What, do we have something more important to do?" Clover demanded. "More important than our friendship!?" 

"Frankly, yes. We have a dangerous force to stop. And to do that, we need information." Sam pulled out her Streamline Feline Catsuit, giving her friends a sly look. 

"All right, I've always wanted to try these things on. Black is so my color." Alex pulled her backpack off and pulled out her Catsuit. Clover growled irritably, but pulled her backpack off to seek her own Catsuit. They did have a job to do, she would have to vent her frustration on her friends later, after this was all taken care of. 

Clad in their Streamline Feline Catsuits, the three girls crept back up to the Utonium house well into the night. Sam reached up and pulled the Hairpick Lockpick out of her hair, sticking it in the doorknob and carefully pushing the door open. They slipped inside quickly, with Clover shutting the door behind her. 

They stood up slowly, looking around cautiously. Oddly enough, there didn't seem to be any security systems. "No laser beams, no killer robots, no guards... I wish all megalomaniacs were like this." Alex quipped softly. 

"Come on, look for anything that might give us an edge over those girls, but stay on the bottom floor." Sam whispered. The spies split up, searching through the bottom floor. Alex made her way into the kitchen, while Clover examined everything in the living room. Sam walked through the living room, eventually coming to a door set against the far wall. She pulled it open, revealing a flight of stairs leading down into the darkness. 

She slid her nightvision Sunglasses on as she walked down the stairs, looking around. It was almost like walking into a separate building. Beakers, machines, and notes littered the laboratory. Sam reached the bottom of the stairs and walked across the room, examining the various machines and beakers as she passed. 

She stopped when she saw a small beaker in front of her, with the word 'Antidote=X' plastered on the front. "Jerry said these things were made with Chemical-X... if this is an antidote to that, maybe it's their weakness." She reached up and took off her Tranquilizer Hairbow, grabbing the beaker from the desk. 

"Sammy, code red! Emergency! Hurry!" Alex's hushed but frantic voice floated down from the top of the stairs. Sam quickly opened the darts inside the hairbow and poured in the Antidote-X, closing it as quickly just before the lights came on. Sam stood up straight and slowly turned around, seeing Professor Utonium staring down at her from the top of the stairs with three little girls floating at his head-level. 

"Sam?" He cocked his head to the side, pushing his hands into his pajama pockets. "You were a thief the whole time? That's disappointing..." He sighed. "I thought some young folk had finally taken an interest in science." 

"Isn't this the part where you tie me up and tell me your diabolical plan for world domination or revenge or whatever?" Sam asked, keeping the hairbow clutched in her fist. She could see something moving behind Professor Utonium, a soft bending of the little light through the window. Alex or Clover, in their Catsuit's camouflage mode. 

"World domination? Revenge?" What are you talking about?" As Sam watched one of the Butterfly Barrette's hit the ground behind the small group of four. It began beeping, drawing their attention back toward it just before it detonated. The blast sent both the Professor and the girls hurtling toward the bottom of the stairs. 

Sam raised the Tranquilizer Hairbow and pointed it at the little girls, who were already pulling themselves up. "Oh that's it, you're going down!" The brunette hurled herself at Sam with blinding speed, vanishing in a blur of green light. Sam shrieked and backed away even as she fired several shots. The dart struck home on the girl's shoulder. "Wh... hey!" The little girl's light faded and she fell to the ground, skidding to a stop by Sam's legs. 

Sam stepped on the girl to keep her from getting up, looking up to make sure that Clover and Alex had the other two girls pinned. The darts had all struck home, apparently rendering the girls powerless. The Professor pushed himself painfully to his knees, holding his arm. He looked the worst of them all from the blast. 

"Professor!" The three little mutants shouted worriedly as he sank back to his knees, grimacing in pain. 

"Girls..." He sank to the floor, too injured to move. Alex let go of the blonde mutant to kneel down beside him and roll him to his back. She put her fingers on his neck to check for a pulse, then took off her glove and put it in front of his mouth. 

"He'll be fine, but we should get him to a doctor." Alex announced. 

"Well... I guess this is a mission complete." For some reason, Sam didn't feel very good about herself as she pulled out her compowder to call Jerry and his cleanup crew to the scene. All three mutants were staring at the Professor like worried children... they certainly didn't look like the vicious attackers from the video. But who else could it have been?

* * *

The night was still young, with the moon high above the Earth as Clover, Alex, Sam and Jerry stood outside the Utonium house. The three little mutants stood covered in shackles by the sidewalk. They hadn't even tried to escape, they seemed more interested in watching Professor Utonium's stretcher move across the street to get him to the ambulance they'd called to the scene. 

"Well done girls. I believe this is a record time for you." Jerry smiled appreciatively. 

"Yeah... but are we sure these are the people responsible for all those robberies?" Sam asked, staring down at the girls. The redhead was staring at the Professor worriedly, while the Brunette looked like she was trying to bust out of her chains and strangle somebody. The blonde was bawling furiously, and quite loudly. 

"Even if they're not, genetic engineering is illegal. And there's no doubt that these three aren't natural." Jerry gestured to the three girls. "Until there are further developments, we'll consider the case closed. Go home and get some rest girls." Jerry turned to walk toward his private black WOOHP jet. 

Sam sighed and looked back at the small girls. The Professor groaned and opened his eyes from the stretcher, turning his head to look down at the mutants on the ground in front of the sidewalk. His expression shifted from one of pain to one of fear as he was pushed into the ambulance, and the door was shut firmly behind him. 

"So... I guess we go home." Alex commented, though she didn't sound any more sure about this than Sam felt. Sam watched one of the big WOOHP agents pick up the three mutants by the chain and pull them into one of the massive WOOHP helicopters. 

"Yeah... come on. We have a long day at school tomorrow..." Sam turned away from the scene, wishing to just forget it all. She usually felt good about solving the mission and putting bad guys behind bars... but she didn't feel good at all about this. Something didn't sit right... and she really wanted to find out what it was. Perhaps eventually she would... 

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. The Darkness Consumes

Part 2: The Darkness Consumes  
  
Professor Utonium sat on the small bunk in his cell, staring at the cold steel floor. He'd woken up here several hours ago, and had no idea where he was or where his girls were. His heart twisted in his chest like a parasite, threatening to drive him crazy from worry. Where were those girls? What was happening to them?  
  
He looked up when the door opened. A balding man with a ring of gray hair and a pair of determined eyes entered, followed by a pair of gun-wielding tux-wearing officers. "Professor Utonium. I am Jerry. I would like a word with you about your creations."  
  
"My girls... where are they?" Professor Utonium's voice cracked as he spoke. He swallowed and spoke again more firmly. "Please, tell me they're okay."  
  
"They're being studied by our scientists... but I have more urgent things to discuss with you." Jerry stood in front of him, staring down at him with his hands clasped behind his back. "Are there any more creations like the ones we found in your house?"  
  
"They're not just creations... they're my daughters. Please, let me see them. They're probably scared." The Professor pleaded, pushing himself to his feet. The guards pointed their guns at his chest, but Jerry stood calm and cool in front of him without so much as flinching. "They need me... please." Jerry stared at him blankly.  
  
"They are illegal genetic mutations. They must be dealt with appropriately." Jerry's eyes softened slightly. "It's not my call..." He stiffened again just as quickly, shaking his head. "I need you to tell us if there are any more of them out there. How many did you make?" The Professor stared at him in horror until he was prodded again. "How many are there?"  
  
"Th... three..." The Professor slumped down onto the small cot in defeat, his mind racing. "Only my three, beautiful little girls..." He hung his head and closed his eyes. He heard Jerry's footsteps turn to leave, followed by the guards that flanked him. Suddenly an explosion rocked the entire building, shaking it down to its foundations.  
  
Jerry fell to the ground hard, grunting in pain. "We're under attack!?" He pushed himself to his feet and ran out into the hallway. The building shuddered again, sending all three men hurtling to the ground. Professor Utonium lurched to his feet and lunged over them, darting down the hallway. He didn't know what was going on, but it was a chance to find the girls.  
  
The floor beneath his feet shuddered again, sending him skidding into the wall as the entire building began to tip. He lurched forward, not sure where he was going. Suddenly the floor underneath his feet gave way and he fell through in a shower of debris. He hit the floor hard, grunting in pain and sliding against the wall of the crooked building.  
  
He looked up when he heard delighted cackled echoing from further down the hallway in front of him. "Kill 'em, let's kill 'em now!" A scratchy voice pleaded in excitement.  
  
"You stay away from us you evil little brats!" Blossom's voice commanded. The Professor pushed himself to his hands and knees and crawled down the hall, toward what appeared to be a holding area. The bodies of guards and scientists littered the floor between him and the three figures that floated in front of the cell. There was a large hole in the solid steel wall behind them, extending all the way to the outside of the building. They looked familiar... but he had thought they were dead.  
  
"Oh don't worry girls." Brick floated up to the cell and ripped the door off with a flick of his wrist, throwing it to the ground. "WE won't hurt you..." He and his brothers cackled as they floated into the cell. The Professor could hear his girls struggle against them, but without their powers they didn't have a prayer. Their cries were quickly silenced.  
  
The turned to leave, but the Professor ran forward desperately. "Stop! Leave them alone!" The Rowdyruff Boys turned to look over at him blankly, then busted up laughing. The Powerpuff Girls were hanging limply from their hands, unconscious with bruises on their faces and bodies. "L... let them go!" The Professor threatened futilely.  
  
"Looks like old age caught up with you pops." Brick lashed out and grabbed the front of his lab coat, hauling him close with a grin. "All that's left is a trip to the grave."  
  
"Not on my watch." An unbelievably powerful light flashed from behind The Professor, searing into Brick's large, hypersensitive eyes with the force of a magnified sunbeam. The Rowdyruff Boy screamed in agony and floated back, squeezing his eyes shut. Professor Utonium looked back after the light faded to see Jerry standing behind him with what looked like a large cannon.  
  
"Agh! Shit! My eyes!" Brick pawed furiously at his eyes while his brothers laughed. "Shut up you morons!" Brick whirled on his brothers, silencing them. He then turned back toward Jerry and the Professor. His eyes were red and half-closed, as he was clearly still in pain. Jerry raised the cannon again. "Let's get out of here!" Brick grabbed Blossom's dress again and streaked out through the hole he'd made before, followed by his brothers.  
  
"Girls!" The Professor ran to the hole to stare out into the dark of the night. The boys were nowhere in site, and neither were his girls. "No... girls..." Jerry walked up behind him, resting the light-cannon on his shoulder.  
  
"We'll find them and get all this sorted out." Jerry looked over at him. "I'll make sure of it."

* * *

"How long are you going to stay mad at us Clover?" Sam asked with a soft sigh as she watched her blonde friend eat lunch at school the day after their strange mission.  
  
"Yeah, we said we're sorry for making you upset the other day." Alex added.  
  
"Empty apologies." Clover huffed, stuffing a forkful of salad into her mouth with an irritated glare at her friends. "You're going to have to work for a long time to make me think you're my best friends again. As it is, you're only really, really good friends."  
  
"How will I ever sleep at night?" Sam smirked slightly.  
  
"So who's your best friend?" Alex asked.  
  
"What are you talking about? I don't have any." Clover replied.  
  
"You have to have a best friend, because you have lots of friends. It stands to reason that ONE of them has to be the best friend you have." Alex pointed out sagely.  
  
Sam laughed and shook her head. "Sure can't argue with that logic."  
  
"What-ever." Clover rolled her eyes and stuffed another bite of salad into her mouth. Suddenly the ground beneath them simply vanished, plunging all three girls down into the dark tube that inevitably carried them down toward WOOHP headquarters.  
  
This time they emerged from the wall onto the padded 'O' set into the wall, avoiding the unnecessary bruises that came with slamming into the cold steel floor. Sam grunted and pulled herself out of the pile with her friends, looking up in surprise. There was another man standing beside Jerry.  
  
"Isn't that the guy we arrested last night?" Sam asked confusedly.  
  
"Indeed he is. There have been some new developments that we need to take care of, and his knowledge will prove invaluable." Jerry pulled a small remote out of his pocket and pressed a button. An image of the girls they brought down last night came up, alongside an image of three new, but very similar, figures. "It turns out we were all wrong about the thefts."  
  
"We were... wrong?" Alex asked, stunned. "Wow... we must be losing our touch."  
  
"Don't take it too hard girls." Professor Utonium told them with a kind smile. Still, there was an undercurrent of fear and worry in his eyes. "After hearing about what happened, it was only natural that you came to the conclusion you did. Even I didn't know the Rowdyruff Boys had returned."  
  
"Still... let me formally apologize." Sam stood and approached the Professor with her hand outstretched. He smiled appreciatively and shook it. "I thought something was funny about last night. I just couldn't figure out what."  
  
"Apology accepted." The Professor replied.  
  
"Now, to your mission girls." Jerry interrupted. Sam, Alex and Clover turned their attention to him. "Last night, these 'Rowdyruff Boys' broke into WOOHP headquarters and kidnapped the Professor's girls. Your mission is to find and rescue the girls. It's of vital importance that they are found and returned safely."  
  
"Why is it so important?" Alex asked curiously. "I mean, it sucks that they were kidnapped, but you make it sound like the entire world is at risk if they're not around."  
  
"From what we've discovered in the last few hours, it just might be." Jerry replied cryptically. "As for your gadgets, these are no mad scientists you'll be up against. Professor Utonium knows their strengths and weaknesses far better than we do, so you will accompany him to his lab, and use his equipment for this mission. Any objections?" The girls remained silent. "Good luck girls, and Godspeed." He turned away from them dramatically.  
  
"You know Jerr, you should consider a job in acting. You'd seriously rock." Clover commented as she, Sam, Alex, and Professor Utonium turned to leave the office. Jerry turned his head slightly to look at her with a thoughtful expression, but they left before he could respond.

* * *

"Ugh..." Blossom groaned in pain as she opened her eyes. Piercing light flooded through her eyelids, blinding her and forcing her to clench her eyes closed again. "Wh... where am I?" She remembered the Rowdyruff Boys entering their cell... but why would they kidnap them? The boys weren't the type to gloat or kill them in some diabolically insane way.  
  
An all too familiar voice answered her question without even having to open her eyes. "You are in my lair Powerpuff Girl. You are in my lair because you are powerless, and it is because you are now powerless that my victory is assured, and your loss is also quite assured, because it is me you were fighting, and for me to win you must lose!" Mojo Jojo's laugh echoed through the large empty chamber as Blossom forced her eyes the rest of the way open. She was strapped to a steel table in the middle of a large room, with her sisters still unconscious beside her and Mojo Jojo standing with a grin in front of her. "My plan was perfect."  
  
"You won't get away with this Mojo..." Bloissom growled. She gasped in surprise when Butch's face appeared inches from hers.  
  
"Can we kill 'em yet Mojo!? Come on! Kill 'em kill 'em!" The Rowdyruff Boy chanted, his fists twitching like he was resisting the urge to reach forward and pop her head off right there.  
  
"No, I have better plans than their deaths, something that will undermine all that they have fought for in fighting me all this time, so they will join me, and because I stand for that which they fight, they will fight for that against which they have always fought." Mojo exclaimed. Brick and Boomer scratched their heads from off to the side.  
  
"Huh?" The other two boys asked in unison. Mojo slapped his forehead irritably.  
  
"Observe!" Mojo grinned and took out a familiar looking gun... it was the Chemical-X weapon he once used to give Princess powers, and try to take away the girls' powers.  
  
"Are you going insane? We're already powerless. More Antidote-X won't hurt us... w... will it?" Blossom asked. Mojo grinned.  
  
"Don't forget, Blossom. You are MADE of Chemical-X. One reversal will remove your powers... two... will revert you to your original components." He pointed the gun at the girls as the Rowdyruff Boys grinned delightedly. Blossom struggles against the ropes that bound her, but she couldn't break out without her powers. "And when I reassemble you... I will remix your ingredients, just as that fool Him did with my boys. Say goodbye to your heroic sides." Mojo's laughter was joined by that of the boys as the gun fired, streaking toward the Powerpuff Girls.

* * *

The Utonium family house was a much friendlier place in the early morning when they weren't trying to sneak into it, Sam noted. Professor Utonium led them through the cheery living room to the door that led down into the basement laboratory. The Professor marched to the other side of the lab and pulled open a shelf.  
  
"I may be able to modify some of these for use against the Rowdyruff Boys, but it could take some time." He told the girls over his shoulder.  
  
"I'll help, just tell me what to do." Sam approached to help him haul the equipment to a nearby desk.  
  
"Yeah, while you two do that, I'm gonna go raid the fridge. Let me know when we get to do something interesting." Clover turned and walked back up the stairs. Alex stared after her, then looked down at Sam and the Professor blankly.  
  
"Um... adios!" Alex darted up the stairs and ran after Clover, leaving Professor Utonium and Sam to work on the equipment.  
  
"Don't mind them, they'll behave... hopefully." Sam smirked.  
  
"I don't mind." Professor Utonium lifted a few pieces of equipment from the table to examine them. They set to work on the gadgets they would be using for this mission, with the Professor directing every move Sam made. He really knew what he was doing, it was all Sam could do to keep up with his orders. But he was patient and gentle, even when she messed up.  
  
Work proceeded surprisingly fast, and soon they'd assembled a small variety of gadgets powered by the Professor's mysterious Chemical-X. From hyperpowered lasers to miniature chainsaws with micron-sized blades. And it was all designed, he said, to combat those who were like his daughters...  
  
"There..." The Professor sighed and held up his last gadget, a pair of Chemical-X detecting goggles. "These will allow you to find them anywhere in the city." He held them out to Sam.  
  
"Thanks... we'll put them to good use." Sam took it from him, though her eyes never left his. His eyes lingered on hers as well, as though pleading with her to find his daughters. "You... really see them as more than just experiments... don't you?"  
  
"Of course..." Professor Utonium replied. "I don't have any other family... they're all I've ever had." He smiled slightly and looked down at the counter. Sam bit her bottom lip guiltily, knowing she was the reason they were gone now. If she'd figured it out before apprehending them last night, none of this would have happened...  
  
"Don't worry Professor..." Sam reached way up to the tall man's shoulder and laid her hand on it lightly. "We'll find your girls and bring them back." She gave him a small, comforting smile.  
  
He looked up at her and smiled back gently, though the worry didn't leave his eyes. He was so sincere and emotional, but obviously smarter than anyone Sam had ever met... anyone who didn't want to take over the world anyway. She blinked, a small blush creeping across her cheek as he took her hand and lifted it from his shoulder. Sam gulped as he brought it down, holding it in his strong, but gentle hand.  
  
"Thank you. I know you'll do your best, and it's all I can ask." He told her. Sam nodded slowly.  
  
"I... I'll go find Alex and Clover... we need to start our search." Sam stuttered softly. The Professor let go of her hand and nodded. She quickly took her chance and bounded up the stairs, emerging into the living room. Her heart was pounding... but this wasn't the time for stupid crushes. She had a job to do, and a very important one. Her own feelings could wait.

* * *

The spies were dressed in their color-coded WOOHP uniforms as they flew into the air above Townsville with the Jetpack Backpacks they still had from the previous night's mission. They stopped in mid-air, hovering high above the city streets. "Okay, put on your Chemical-X Detecting Goggles. We have to find our targets as fast as possible."  
  
Clover grimaced as she pulled her goggles out of her bag. "Remind me never to complain about WOOHP's fashion designs again." She commented, holding the thick work-goggles out in front of her distastefully. Finally she slid them on and looked around with her partners, scanning for any trace of the Rowdyruff Boys or Powerpuff Girls.  
  
"Hey, I think I see something." Alex exclaimed, staring at a volcano top observatory right in the middle of the city. "It's three... no... make that four... five... six figures." She said.  
  
"Then let's get in there and find out what's going on girls." Sam pulled her goggles off and darted down toward the volcano, followed by her partners. They landed on the top near the telescope, creeping across the dome to the telescope's hole to peer inside. The room was completely dark, with no movement in sight.  
  
Sam lowered herself into the hole and set her feet on the top of the telescope, walking carefully down its length until she could safely jump to the floor. Clover and Alex followed her, none of them making any sound in the hollow, steel room. They crept up to the only door they could see in the darkness, pressing their ears against it.  
  
Nothing alerted them to anybody in the room, so Sam gripped the doorknob and pushed it open, creeping inside. This room was darker than the last, with no windows to let in the moonlight. "Alex, I thought you said you saw blips in here?" Clover whispered. Even that little sound seemed to echo endlessly.  
  
"I did, they're in there somewhere." Alex replied confidently. Suddenly a pair of crimson pools appeared in the darkness in front of them. The girls gasped and stepped back, but two more pairs of pools appeared behind them. The girls moved together until their backs were touching.  
  
"The Rowdyruff Boys..." Sam reached into her belt for one of the gadgets Professor Utonium had given them. "Get ready girls, this could be intense."  
  
"Please, being able to fly doesn't make them more than just kids. This'll be a snooze fest." Clover retorted. Suddenly the crimson pools vanished into three pools of light, streaking toward them. Sam didn't even have time to lift her arm before the light slammed into her, shoving her painfully back against her partners, who seemed to have formed a wall behind her.  
  
Another impact to her jaw sent her flying, but she didn't even hit the ground before another impact dug into her stomach, flipping her to her back on the cold steel floor. Another impact to her ribs sent her sliding across the smooth floor, clutching her stomach painfully. An impact to her spine stopped her slide, followed by another strike to her jaw that slammed her head into the floor.  
  
Sam lied on the ground, curled up in pain. She could hear the groans of Clover and Alex from nearby. Obviously they had fared no better than Sam had. She felt like her ribs were broken from the first impact... she could barely imagine moving let alone fighting.  
  
Suddenly the lights above them flared to life as an irritating laugh echoed through the large, steel room. "That was magnificent! Never in my days have I seen such a display of careless ferocity as I have just witnessed, and being a criminal genius, I have seen many acts of careless ferocity indeed. But that was the most beautiful act of careless ferocity ever, for it was the fiercest, and most deadly that I have ever witnessed."  
  
Sam craned her neck to look toward the sound of the voice. A monkey wearing a strange superhero costume was walking out of a nearby glass elevator, followed by three little boys without fingers and with big eyes... wait...  
  
Sam looked up at her attacker, gasping when she saw Blossom floating above her. "The Powerpuff Girls...?" Sam groaned. Blossom growled and kicked her in the stomach. Sam shouted in pain and squeezed her eyes shut. It had felt like being stepped on by an elephant...  
  
"Powerpuff Girls?" Blossom sneered. "That was back when we were stupid and blind. Now we know that it's survival of the fittest! Now we know we're better! Now we're the Whoopass Girls!" Blossom let out a barking laugh, throwing her head back and sticking out her chest.  
  
"Oohhh, very nice." The monkey said.  
  
"Thanks, I've been working on it." Blossom replied.  
  
"Whoopass Girls?" Alex asked, pushing herself up to a sitting position. From the look of her, her beating had been even worse than Sam's. Her right eye was nearby bruised shut, and she was bleeding from the side of her mouth. God knew what the rest of her body would look like. Still, she didn't let her pain show as she stared up at Bubbles floating above her. "No, you're not evil, you're the good guys!"  
  
"Shut up!" Bubbles kicked her in the jaw, slamming her head into the floor and knocking her unconscious.  
  
The monkey laughed delightfully and marched up to Sam, staring down at her with a victorious smirk. "Such beautiful irony to have the girls who have caused me such distress at my beck and call. You three... spies... don't matter to me." He snapped his fingers. "Whoopass Girls, please take care of these three for me. Make sure they're the first to feel the wrath of Mojo Jojo."  
  
"Our pleasure." Blossom grinned and grabbed Sam by the front of her outfit, yanking her face close to hers. "If I knew cutting loose felt so good before, I would have done this a looong time ago." She raised her fist and brought it back. Sam tried to pull away, but she was still hurting and Blossom's grip was like an unbreakable vice.  
  
A strange sound interrupted Blossom though, giving her pause. Sam blinked and looked to see Clover laughing wildly even as Buttercup clutched the front of her uniform. "What's so funny!?" Buttercup demanded, gripping her suit tightly. Clover's laughter continued however. Poor girl must have snapped, Sam thought. Her face was bruised and cut, and her left arm was hanging limp, but she was laughing like she'd just seen the funniest thing in the world.  
  
"All those boys over there, and it's the girls who do all the fighting." Clover grinned sarcastically, staring past Buttercup at the Rowdyruff Boys. The one in the red cap blinked in surprise, staring at her. "Isn't that, like, totally typical? Boys can't do a damn thing... it's always the girls who get the job done."  
  
The Powerpuff girls chuckled to themselves, casting the boys a sly look. The boys growled darkly, marching forward. Sam blinked, realizing what was happening. Clover hadn't snapped... she was a genius. "Hyeah, boys always have to get girls to fight their battles for them." Sam announced loudly to make sure the boys heard her.  
  
"Move aside girls!" The boy in the red cap marched up to Blossom and shoved her aside. "We'll dispose of these pathetic little bitches."  
  
"Hey, back off, I was gonna do it!" Blossom shoved the boy back again roughly. That was all it took for things to deteriorate into a melee between the two that bounded throughout the room uncontrollably. Bubbles and Buttercup rushed to their sister's aid, but the other two boys cut them off and soon all six of them were embroiled in the fight.  
  
Sam pushed herself to her hands and knees, crawling painfully over to Clover. "Good thinking Clover. Now we just have to find a way to neutralize all of their powers."  
  
Clover lied back on the floor, grunting as her bruised ribs yelled in complaint. "Don't you have some kind of gadget for that?" She asked painfully. Sam reached into her belt and withdrew a mechanical-looking grenade the size of her fist.  
  
"This was designed to incapacitate them... but it could take us all out in this enclosed space." Sam replied. Clover stared up at her steadily.  
  
"Do it, we'll be fine." Clover told her. Sam stared down at her, then patted her shoulder and pushes herself painfully to her feet. Clover groaned and pulled herself toward Alex as Sam turned to walk toward the area where the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys were locked in a massive battle. Sam took a deep breath and took the pin in her mouth, pulling it out of the grenade with a jerk of her wrist.  
  
She wound up and hurled the small object as hard as she could before whirling and stumbling quickly back toward her friends. Clover had made it to Alex and was trying vainly to pull her toward the other side of the room. Sam ran up to them and dove on top of them both, holding them down as she heard the grenade detonate behind her.  
  
The sound echoed through the empty room first, deafening the girls before the heat washed over them all. The force was enough to blow them across the smooth metal floor, but Sam and Clover held on so that the spies moved in a big pile instead of flying every which way. Sam howled as the flames of the explosion burned into her back, but as quickly as the blast had come it faded, leaving behind only smoke and the lingering smell of smoke.  
  
Sam grunted and sat up on her knees, casting a quick glance backward. The Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys had been gathered around the grenade, and all of them were laid out on the floor unconscious. Sam grunted and pushed herself to her feet, trying to ignore the searing pain in her back and ribs.  
  
"Well... that was easy..." Clover quipped from on top of Alex, who was still unconscious.  
  
"We just have to... get them back to Professor Utonium... see what he can do with them." Sam reached into her belt as she stumbled toward the kids, pulling out a small syringe filled with Antidote-X. She approached Blossom and knelt down beside her, but before she could begin administering the Chemical the ground began to shake.  
  
"What the Hell...!?" Clover exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Alex to keep her from shaking around too much. "Is the volcano erupting!?"  
  
"It... doesn't seem like it!" Sam shouted back as the syringe dropped from her fingertips. Suddenly the ground underneath Blossom shot upward toward the ceiling. One piece slammed into Sam's jaw, sending her hurtling back toward the floor with a heavy thud. She shook her head and opened her eyes to see that all six of the Chemical-X creations were being held in the air by the ground itself.  
  
A soft, flutelike voice erupted from the ground in the middle of the steel pillars as the ground finally stopped shaking. "Forces of light, forces of dark, both vanquished in one fell arc." Sam pushed herself to her feet, staring in surprise as a crimson figure rose up from the floor, a pair of crablike claws clicking together dangerously. "Thank you, spies." He grinned.  
  
"What's going on? I don't get it... what happened to the monkey? Who're you?" Sam demanded. The crimson figure laughed, walking toward her slowly.  
  
"Mojo Jojo obeys ME." His voice seemed to fluctuate randomly between that of a bird's song, and grating steel. "He knows better than to challenge me. Now, with his help, and yours, all six of my greatest nemesis' will be under MY power! These boys will pay for betraying and abandoning me... and the girls... will know everything their hearts fear."  
  
"You forgot about us... didn't you?" Sam dropped into a fighting stance, reaching into her belt for one of the many gadgets Professor Utonium had given her. "You've gotta go through us before you can take them anywhere."  
  
The crimson figure shrugged off-handedly. "Okay." His claw swept in her direction in a graceful arc. Without warning Sam flew backward, as if rammed by a dozen Powerpuff Girls. She slammed into Clover and Alex, collapsing to a heap on the floor as the crimson figure let out a light, but taunting laugh. "With that, I shall take me leave. Prepare yourselves for the inevitable end, girls. It will come very, very soon." With that he vanished into the ground, and the three steel monuments began to descend with him.  
  
Suddenly Clover lurched to her feet and ran forward, pumping her legs as hard as she could. "Clover, what are you doing!?" Sam yelled.  
  
"My job!" Clover shouted back as she dove for one of the descending monuments. It was almost at ground level now, and soon would undoubtedly vanish into the floor. Clover's arms stretched out in front of her as she passed over the top of the now-tiny monument. Her arms wrapped around Blossom, pulling her close to her chest as she hit the ground with a hard thud on the other side.  
  
The monuments vanished into the ground with the other five Chemical-X creations, but Clover pushed herself to her feet with Blossom held in her arms. "Our mission was to bring back the Powerpuff Girls, the least we can do is bring back one of 'em." She grunted as she moved back toward Sam and Alex, the adrenaline of the charge leaving her to feel the pain of her wounds from the prior pummeling.  
  
"We should get out of here before that... thing... realizes what happened." Sam knelt down to pull Alex into her arms, carrying her toward the front exit of the observatory. She had hoped to have this all wrapped up tonight, now it looked like things had only gotten worse. All they could do was check in with Jerry and hope there was something they could do after that...  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	3. The Calm

* * *

A/N: Special thanks to "Psychedelic Leviathan". His fic "Memories of the Future" reminded me what it was I originally strove to create with my fics, and inspired me to write this fanfic (and probably all future chapters, of which there will be many more thanks to him) more quickly.  
  
Part 3: The Calm  
  
It was amazing. Last night they had returned to Professor Utonium's house with Alex and Blossom in tow. Now at almost two o'clock in the afternoon they were hiding inside the large home offices of the World Organization Of Human Protection like a pile of rats gathering at the highest point of a sinking ship. That demon thing hadn't even made a move yet, and the tension that permeated the building was already almost unbearable.  
  
Professor Utonium had come with them, spending most of his time analyzing the self-proclaimed Whoopass Girl. Clover hadn't known her before this transformation, but it seemed it was quite a switch. "I could change her back." Professor Utonium had told her early that morning. "But my lab sank into the ground after you girls came and got me." A wry smirk twisted his handsome, aged features. "I can assure you, it was no accident."  
  
Jerry was right in the next room, but more unreachable than Clover had ever seen him. His phones rang off the hook as rumors of last night's events circulated through the organization. Word spread very fast in this technological age, though he tried his damndest to keep it within the organization so as to avoid a full-scale citizen riot.  
  
Alex, after twelve hours, was still unconscious and lying on one of the steel tables in what normally served as the Emergency Room. They were using it as a temporary hospital because it was closer to Jerry's office, and they could more easily get to her if Hell, literally, started breaking loose. She had suffered a mild concussion from Bubbles' last blow to the head, and could be out cold anywhere from an hour to a month the doctor said. As if Clover didn't have enough to worry about.  
  
Sam stayed by her side despite the lack of chairs in the cold unforgiving room. When her legs got tired she sat or laid on the floor beside her, occasionally grabbing a book from WOOHP's extensive library. Unfortunately, these books were all science and history related, but she found old historical accounts that seemed almost as interesting as fiction. Somehow though, Clover knew Alex would be sobbing in boredom if she was able.  
  
As for Clover herself, she wandered aimlessly throughout the building, keeping to herself and occasionally exchanging a greeting with the men in black that made up WOOHP's in-office personnel. She would have stayed by Alex, but she was feeling too guilty about what she'd said to her and Sam yesterday... about not being best friends anymore. With Alex in a coma and a demon just waiting to go on a rampage against the world... that argument seemed so damn petty it almost made her cry.  
  
It didn't matter though. When the demon struck, she would be too busy saving the world to worry about a petty useless argument.

* * *

Jerry sat in the leatherbound, swiveling chair that was tailor-made to fit his aging body. The screen in front of him was registering calls from WOOHP agents all over the world, all of whom had been put on high alert. He reached over and tapped a button on his video-phone to answer it even before he heard the ring. "WOOHP central office."  
  
A familiar voice on the screen brought a nostalgic smile to his lips. "Jerry, why have we been brought back into service? We told you we're retired!" Pam demanded angrily. She was dressed in a new, more modern WOOHP uniform similar to the current team of spies, and was calling from WOOHP's Antarctic base.  
  
"Yeah, I'm getting married tomorrow!" Alice complained behind her.  
  
"Congratulations. I'll send you a gift basket." Jerry quipped.  
  
Crimson shoved them both out of the way, putting her face up against the screen of the videophone. "Even worse than being called back is being called back for NOTHING. Now tell us what the Hell is going on! What's with this high-alert, and why are we here?"  
  
"We have reason to believe that the world is in danger." Jerry replied.  
  
"Obviously, there's always some nut job out to take over the world." Pam reappeared on the screen. "That doesn't explain what this has to do with us." Jerry let out a soft sigh.  
  
Alice pushed her friends aside to speak. "We're sorry Jerry, but we've just gotten settled down into our lives again after being brainwashed by Edison, we want to relax."  
  
"I understand Alice." Jerry looked up at them gravely. "But I'm not simply talking about someone with a revenge scheme. I'm talking about the end of civilization. Perhaps the deaths of all living things, perhaps their enslavement. I'm not quite sure... but I know that you three are the greatest team of spies I've ever had the privilege of working with. The world needs you girls. It needs all of us."  
  
The three middle-aged former spies stared at him steadily, as though trying to figure out if he was joking or not. Finally Pam nodded and gave him a slight smile. "Okay Jerry... you've got us. But just for a while."  
  
"And only for old time's sake." Alice winked.  
  
"Thank you ladies. I'll be in touch." Jerry touched the small control pad on the desk beside him and the image faded from the screen.  
  
"I hope you were being polite about THEM being your best team of spies." Clover quipped as she walked into the room. She carried a large tray of steaming stew, milk, and steamed vegetables. She set the tray on the table as Jerry smirked.  
  
"Now Clover, no use getting jealous. I favor none of my spies, it would be like choosing between my own children. Thank you." Jerry grabbed the fork from the tray and started eating.  
  
"So, enslavement of humanity huh? What have you heard about this demon-thing that I haven't?" Clover asked.  
  
Jerry looked up at her around a mouthful of mashed potatoes. He spoke after swallowing. "Professor Utonium warned us about... Him... after his girls were kidnapped. The consequences of leaving him unopposed were too great, so we sent you after them... but it seems like we ALL played right into his hands... er... claws."  
  
"We have the pink one." Clover reminded him.  
  
"One against five isn't very good odds." Jerry shook his head. "Professor Utonium is searching, but there's no Chemical-X or Antidote-X left after his lab sank into the Earth, so using that to our advantage is out..." He turned to his food again, the unspoken words hanging clearly in the air. There might be no way to stop Him once he comes.

* * *

Sam opened her eyes suddenly, snapping out of the world in which she, Clover, and Alex had just discovered a previously unknown store in the mall. She rubbed her eyes with a deep yawn, looking down at her Latino friend still lying on the table with a bandage around her head. Sam reached out to squeeze her hand, hoping to feel her squeeze back, or any form of acknowledgement. Of course, none came.  
  
With a deep, drained sigh Sam pushed herself up from the floor. God her knees were so stiff... they popped for three minutes as she walked out the door into the long empty hallways of WOOHP. She'd been in there nonstop for the last five days, and still nothing had happened. It seemed like the air itself was standing still, waiting for something to happen.  
  
Sam moved down the hallway, stopping when she heard Professor Utonium's voice from the WOOHP laboratory. "This is hopeless..."  
  
"As I told you." Blossom's voice replied sarcastically. She sang lightly. "All paths will converge into one, and then the world will come undone."  
  
Sam pushed the laboratory door open. Professor Utonium was sitting on a stiff chair in front of a table, on which the Whoopass Girl was trapped by a box of glowing, yellowish lasers. "Professor?" Sam called. She hadn't thought about what happened in his lab since the mission ended.  
  
He looked back at her. "Samantha. Come on in." He rubbed his eyes and pushed himself back in the chair as she entered. Blossom's large, pink eyes followed her movement. "Are you holding up okay?"  
  
"Well enough, I guess. I'm just wondering what the big hold up is." Sam shook her head. "What is he planning... there has to be a way to find out."  
  
Professor Utonium shook his head. "It's an old war strategy. Sometimes the most powerful psychological move is to simply wait, and let your enemies work themselves into a frenzy. Then strike while they're at their weakest." He shook his head. "Him is a master of Psychological Warfare."  
  
"You look hungry Professor." Sam changed the subject quickly.  
  
"I suppose I am..." The Professor replied with a sigh. His stomach growled in agreement. "Would you watch Blossom while I go find something?"  
  
"No problem at all." Sam stood aside and watched the Professor leave before sitting down in his chair. When she turned toward the glowing yellow energy box, she found the Whoopass girl still staring straight at her. "Do you need something?" Sam asked as graciously as she could, though in truth she was beyond weirded out.  
  
"There's no victory here you know." Blossom told her. "I know... I remember... I've seen what is destined to become."  
  
"What are you, a psychic?"  
  
Blossom shook her head gravely. "No... I've been to the future. Everything was dead inside... the people, the plants... the sky... it was all dead. And it was all our fault..."  
  
_The people shuffled out of the old and crumbling buildings, looking like a pale wave of old and decrepit flesh and bone underneath the blood red sky. A zombie like cry echoed forth like a death knoll. "Powerpuff Girls..." Old friends from school, every citizen of Townsville that remained in this Hellhole emerged under the crimson sun, which wasn't all that many. Still they shuffled up to the trembling girls, stopping in a circle around them.  
  
"You did this..." One accusing voice split from the crowd. But he was soon joined by the rest of the pack. "You did this Powerpuff Girls."  
  
"No..." Blossom shuddered in horror, trying to back away but only bumping into her sisters.  
  
The people began to move forward, crowing around the girls and pushing them closer together. "It's your fault." The monotone, zombie like tone slowly melted into hatred and unbridled fury. "It's your fault. Your fault!"  
  
"Wh... wh..." Blossom looked down at her shaking hands, in her eyes stained red. "What have we done!?" She cried in despair, dropping to her knees as tears dripped down her cheeks. She could hear Bubbles and Buttercup breaking down behind her, screaming in anger and despair...  
_  
"We thought we would change it by coming back to the present and protecting Townsville like we always did..." Blossom lamented thoughtlessly. She seemed to smile when she saw Sam's horrified expression. "But it seems like, whether by negligence or by pulling the trigger ourselves... we were always destined to bring the world to an end in the future. It's strange... I once would have been frightened by that." Her eyes locked on Sam's. "The future... is here."

* * *

Clover stood wearily in the hallway, lacking the motivation or the energy to move it seemed. It had been five days since they'd encountered Him, but they'd still seen neither hide nor hair of him. All this waiting was really eating at her nerves. Why didn't the bastard just get it over with and attack!? She liked it so much better when she could go after some bad guy actively trying to take over the world. At this point she didn't even care if she won. She just wanted to get it over with.  
  
Clover jumped in surprise when Sam stumbled out of the nearby laboratory, stumbling into the wall shaking and pale-faced. "Sammy? What happened?" Clover rushed over to her and took her arm to help steady her. Sam looked up at her, not really seeing her for several moments.  
  
"Clover..." Sam stuttered, her frantic eyes staring into hers for some kind of comfort. "Clover... God..." She wrapped her arms around her tightly, burying her face in her shoulder.  
  
"Sam, calm down, everything's okay..." Clover whispered in her ear, rubbing her back comfortingly. "Now talk to me... what's going on? Why are you so spooked?" Clover asked.  
  
Sam gulped and pulled away from her slightly. They stared into each others eyes, until Sam finally looked down and wiped at her cheeks with the back of her glove. "N... nothing Clover." Sam smiled an obviously forced smile. "I'm just shaken up is all... all this waiting is getting to me."  
  
"Yeah, I can totally relate." Clover gave her a gentle smile and squeezed her shoulder. Her smile faded and she sighed. "Look Sam... about what I said before this all started... about you not being my best friend..."  
  
"Oh pah." Sam waved her off with one hand. "I know you never meant it." She said.  
  
"You think... Alex does too?" Clover asked.  
  
"Of course she does." Sam patted her shoulder gently. Her face was still pale, but she was acting more normal than she had been moments before. "Come on... let's go be there when she wakes up. Both of us together." Sam suggested. Clover couldn't suppress a grin as she and Sam marched down the hall again, leaning against each other.

* * *

Jerry sat behind his desk, watching the lights on the map begin to spread across the whole country. They signified the confirmed places where people knew about Him... word had finally gone beyond WOOHP. He'd known it would happen eventually, and he was frankly surprised he'd kept it under wraps for the four days he did.  
  
Suddenly the screen flashed to life, showing an image of the oval office with the President sitting at his desk. "Okay Jerry, give it to me straight. What's going on? And why did I have to read about it in the newspaper?" The president demanded angrily.  
  
"A necessary precaution I assure you Mr. President." Jerry replied. "I was hoping we could resolve the situation before anyone found out about it to avoid a mass panic."  
  
The President nodded sagely. "But word got out."  
  
"Unfortunately."  
  
The President looked back as a large rock bounced off of the window behind his desk. The sound of angry cries and yells floated up from outside the building, demanding answers. "I have to say something Jerry. This is getting out of hand. Tell me what's going on."  
  
"Basically... an impending invasion." Jerry replied softly. "An unknown type of creature with immense power is going to strike... he was held back, but those protectors are gone now. He'll be able to attack with impunity."  
  
"I'm not hearing any comforting words Jerry."  
  
"I apologize for that."  
  
"I'm going to put the country on high-alert. Moblize the military."  
  
Jerry shook his head, staring at the president gravely. "I don't think that will do a whole lot of good sir."  
  
"I cannot and will not sit here waiting for this... thing to wipe out the human race." The president replied. "I'm giving a press conference tomorrow about it. And then we'll upgrade the military status. If he shows his face in America, he'll be greeting with a missile." The president's face faded from the screen, leaving Jerry to simply sigh and shake his head.  
  
"What to do when there's no hope left..." He muttered.

* * *

Her head was fuzzy... she couldn't remember much. Flashes of lights in darkness... glowing red pools that seemed to shift strangely... then it came back. The girls they'd been sent to save... they'd turned on them. She'd been knocked unconscious... she must have been out a long time. This was confirmed when Alex reached up with one hand to find a bandage wrapped firmly around it.  
  
She opened her eyes, squinting against the sharp lights overhead. Turning her head, she could see Sam and Clover lying on the floor beside what looked, and felt, like a steel desk in the middle of WOOHP headquarters. They were both asleep on the floor, still wearing their WOOHP uniforms. It couldn't have been that long if they were still at WOOHP could it?  
  
Alex shifted on the table to swing her legs over the side. Apparently this was enough to wake her friends, because Clover was on her in an instant. "Alex! You're awake!" She wrapped her up in a tight hug, grinning broadly. "I was SO worried you wouldn't snap out of it..."  
  
"I feel fine Clover... except for a pounding headache." Alex replied with a soft smile. Before she knew it Sam was on her other side.  
  
"Don't do that to us again girl! You were out for almost a week!" Sam told her.  
  
"Hey, sorry, I'll set an alarm clock next time." Alex joked. Her friends smiled and nudged her arms playfully. "I assume we somehow got all of those mutant things captured?" She asked. Sam and Clover's delighted expressions darkened, both looking away from her. "Girls?"  
  
"Most of them were taken by... something." Sam replied, her face becoming the emotionless mask she used when she had to convey bad news. "Professor Utonium says it's pretty bad... downright disastrous actually."  
  
Alex blinked, staring at her steadily. "I don't get it, where are they? Why are we here? Did they let us go? I don't understand."  
  
"Long story short, they were taken by some evil guy, and they haven't been seen since." Clover informed her.  
  
"We've been waiting for them to make their move, but they haven't yet." Sam shook her head. "But until they do, come on. You probably need something to eat." At the mention of food, Alex's unintentionally deprived stomach growled loudly, drawing a deep blush to Alex's cheeks. Sam grinned and pulled her off the table. "Let's get something to eat in you, then you can start worrying endlessly like the rest of us." Alex smiled gratefully as Sam pulled her away from the hard steel table.  
  
Alex was led through the cold lifeless corridors of the central WOOHP office, with Sam pulling and Clover pushing from behind. They entered another room moments later. Alex didn't know it was possible for a kitchen to look so drab and lifeless. Everything was made of solid steel, even the cabinet doors had to be an inch thick. It was good to know that if someone ever succeeded in breaking into this highly fortified and classified government building, their Fruit Loops would remain safe.  
  
"What would you like Alex?" Sam marched up to the cabinets and pulled them open one at a time to see their contents. "Powder... more powder... or a somewhat brown-looking powder."  
  
"Mmm..." Alex hummed lightly, trying to decide. "Well I'm partial to powder but powder might be just as good at this point." Sam and Clover chuckled as Sam set about trying to make the powder edible. The TV in the corner of the kitchen was turned to the news, as every TV seemed to be. "Is something special happening today?"  
  
"The President's addressing the demon situation." Sam replied.  
  
"Oh yeah, there he is." Alex pointed. Sam stopped what she was doing and moved beside Alex to watch. Clover stepped forward and turned up the volume so they could listen.  
  
The President approached the podium and cleared his throat. There wasn't even any applause, the deathly silence that gripped WOOHP all week seemed to have extended beyond its walls. "My fellow Americans. We have all learned within the last twenty-four hours, of an impending threat to not just this nation, but the world."  
  
"This threat is a grave one, but rest assured that the mightiest nation in history will not fall t..." He stopped suddenly, his eyes going wide as his body twitched. Slowly he lifted from the ground, until he was being suspending over Buttercup's head. His blood rained down on the top of her head, but she seemed to revel in it with a broad grin.  
  
The crowd at the scene screamed and began to scatter as the girl tossed the President's inert form over the podium. She looked the same as ever, but now here eyes were replaced by pools of blood red energy that seemed to endlessly swirl around itself. She had a grin on her face as she wiped the blood from her hair, licking it off her hand leisurely.  
  
She grabbed one of the microphones off the podium, floating in front of it. Her voice was dark and gritty, somewhere between her old voice and Him's demonic growl. "As we speak, the leaders of the most powerful nations in the world are being replaced. You will not resist these replacements... anyone who fights it will suffer far worse than death."  
  
From off of the camera a few volleys of gunfire bounced off of her. She turned toward them irritably, her eyes pulsing until a crimson beam swept outward. Even more screams of pain and terror erupted from the audience. "And you WILL bring us Powerpuff Girl Blossom!" Buttercup screamed, staring straight at the camera. For a moment Alex was afraid she was staring right at her before remembering it was just a TV screen.  
  
"For every hour that Blossom isn't delivered, another city will be demolished. Starting with this one." She dropped the microphone with a grin as four other streaks of light came down from behind her. She joined them in the charge, slamming into the camera and plunging the TV into static until the normal newscasters came on.  
  
"Oh my God..." Clover muttered in horror. "They just took out the President of the Unites States on international television."  
  
"This must have been what they were waiting for." Sam realized, her mouth hanging open. "Something like this will cause a mass panic in every country in the world. Everything will dissolve into chaos..."  
  
"It's the end of the world as we know it..." Alex sung grimly. "And I feel fine..."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED


	4. The Chaos

Part 4: The Chaos

Simpleminded sheep... they considered themselves the mightiest race. The smartest animal. But sheep was all they were. Cut off their heads, and they scurry about randomly like so many cockroaches. A mere sample of his underlings' power was enough to spur them into action, and killing their leaders was enough to make them aimless. Now all he had to do was sit back and watch them weaken themselves to the point where he could waltz in and take over. Without the Powerpuff Girls to contend with, nothing could stop him.

Of course... there was still a Powerpuff Girl loose and free out there somewhere. Mojo Jojo swore that his treatment to her was as much of a success as with the other five... but it wasn't complete until He took control of her mind. Until then, she was a wild card. Five against one was good odds in his favor, but he hated even having to count the odds. He wasn't a betting man.

And those spies... the ones who had stolen Blossom away from Him. They were too quick-witted and resourceful for their own good... they would have to be dealt with as well. But nobody he 'interrogated' quietly seemed to know a thing about them. He hated it when humans kept secrets. They always kept their best hands close to their chest...

"Keep up your reign, children." He said to the five small figures floating in front of him. They looked up at him in awe and reverence, their shining crimson eyes a testament to his unbreakable power. "Kill every leader these pathetic humans have got. Cut off their heads... and they'll kill the rest for us."

The children nodded in obedience and streaked away from him, leaving black shadows in place of their old light-trails. If Blossom showed up... she would be his. If he ever saw those spies again... they would suffer.

* * *

Sam and Alex knew they weren't psychics, but their predictions couldn't have been more accurate. Within minutes the police agencies were flooded with calls of robberies, lootings, rapes, and vandalism. The Television stations were flooded with mobs of angry people out to find some kind of justice or outlet for their confusion. All the while, the five tiny terrors obliterated everything within Washington D.C. Men, women, children, pets, buildings, all of it was smashed into pieces or pulp. When they were done, they had vanished again, leaving behind the destruction that served as an example to the world what they had the power to do.

"An entire city... flattened..." Alex muttered in awe.

"And an entire country in chaos." Sam added. The news reports had focused solely on American instances, and none of WOOHP's field agents had reported in yet as to the situation overseas.

Jerry pressed the button in front of him that turned off the screen, cutting off the flood of horrible images. He sat staring at the floor, then looked over at his spies. "WOOHP doesn't have the manpower to handle a humanitarian crisis of this magnitude."

"But we can't give up." Alex complained.

"Yeah, it's pinky they want. We could always hand her over." Clover jerked her thumb toward Blossom, whose energy-cell was sitting on the table with her inside. Professor Utonium sat behind her.

"Hey, I'm not gonna be controlled!" Blossom replied darkly.

"You will if it'll save the world!" Clover retorted.

"It wouldn't. Handing her over would only make them stronger." Jerry reminded her. Clover fell silent for once, moving back to stand behind her partners. Jerry closed his eyes and put one hand on his forehead. "This is worse than I ever imagined possible..." He muttered into the silence. It was so strange, knowing that the world outside was in such growing disarray, but having this room so peaceful and still.

"If we had some Antidote-X... we could take their powers away but... it all sank with my lab." Professor Utonium interjected unhelpfully.

"Can't you make more?" Sam asked.

"Not without my journals..." The Professor replied.

"Our primary concern now... is protecting lives." Jerry stood up and turned toward his spies. "But this is not a mission, nor an order. Anyone who wants to go home and find their family is free to do so."

"I'm in, I can't back out now when there are so many people who need us." Alex said immediately.

"Yeah, this is all seriously messed up. If we don't try to fix it, who will?" Clover agreed. The silence lingered on until everyone turned to look at Sam, who was staring straight at Blossom with a pale look on her face. The Whoopass Girl stared back, giving her a slight nod of her head.

"Jerry..." Sam looked over at him, shaking slightly and pale-faced. "I don't think anything we do will matter." She closed her eyes and lowered her head.

"Sammy... you're quitting?" Alex gasped. "But we can't do this without you!"

"Yeah Sam, we need you." Clover added.

"I've made up my mind... I... want to go back to Beverly Hills and see if I can find my mom. Protect my friends... something." She said. Jerry walked around the desk toward her, reaching into his pocket to take out a compowder. He pushed it gently into her hands.

"There's no shame in this Samantha. If you need us, or change your mind, contact me." Jerry told her softly. "And you can use one of the Jetpack Backpacks to get home."

"Thank you Jerry..." Without looking up at him again, Sam turned to leave. Alex moved to run after her, but Clover grabbed her arm and held her back. Sam left silently, leaving the others to stare after her.

"Now then, let's work out our own plans." Jerry said, turning to the others.

* * *

"Get away from her!" Crimson whirled in mid-air, slamming her heel into one Chinaman's face hard enough to send him whirling back. She knelt down beside Alice, who was lying on the ground, clutching her stomach. "Hold on, we're gettin' out of here!" She hefted her partner up quickly, darting through the massive throng of people.

No place was safe from the chaos. No leader was safe from death. The Chinese President had felt this just an hour ago, while Pam, Alice, and Crimson were passing through China on patrol for anything suspicious like Jerry had asked. Well, 'suspicious' was the least of their concerns at this point.

She ducked and weaved her way through the crowd, forcefully kicking several people out of the way before she got free of the throng and leapt on top of a nearby car. She kneeled down, resting Alice on the metal roof. "Geeze, hold on." She took out a flask and poured some of her water on a piece of cloth, dabbing it against the wound Alice had suffered when the crowds formed right around them.

"Ow... God, I never would have been blindsided like that in my younger days." Alice scowled at her own weakness.

"Yeah, we're just a couple of old spinstresses... well I am anyway." Crimson smiled down at her friend, who smiled back up at her. They knew with this chaos, a wedding would be impossible. But it was the spirit of the thing that mattered. She looked up a moment later. "Did you see Pam anywhere? I lost track of her in the crowd."

Alice shook her head. "I haven't seen her either..." She sat up and looked around. Suddenly the car they were perched on top of was shoved upward by a dozen pissed off Chinamen, screaming and yelling in their native language. Crimson grabbed her friend and hauled her into her arms, leaping off the car toward the sidewalk as it flipped over, crushing several people underneath. She slammed into several more men, knocking them unconscious as they all stumbled into the wall of a building behind them.

"This is like trying to maneuver in a pissed off hornet's nest!" Crimson shouted in frustration as she ducked another punch and threw her shoulder against the attacker's chest, bowling him over.

"Put me down! I can take care of myself!" Alice shouted of the roar of the crowd, car alarms, and various smashing objects.

"Not in your condition!" Crimson charged headlong toward one of the buildings on this street. It looked like a pastry shop, with all kinds of cakes and pies sitting in the shattered windows. There didn't seem to be anybody inside however.

She leapt into the air, slamming her foot into one more face before sailing through the window like a missile, clutching Alice tightly to her. They hit the tiled floor hard. Crimson lurched to her feet with a grunt of pain. "Come on, there's gotta be a back room or something." She pulled her friend toward the back of the store, where they found a bathroom.

They ran inside and closed the door, locking it behind them. Both sank to the floor, panting and nursing wounds sustained in the wild melee outside. "You never should have agreed to this mission Alice." Crimson looked over at her.

"Jerry needed me, I couldn't let him down." Unconsciously one of Alice's hands slid down to her abdomen, which was beginning to bulge somewhat underneath her skin-tight spy uniform.

"He would have understood if you'd told him. You're in no condition for spying anymore."

"Well it's kind of late for that now." Alice snapped irritably. She sighed a moment later. "Sorry Crimson... I know you're just thinking about what's best for me, as always."

Crimson waved off the apology. "Speaking of what's best... let's catch our breath, then see if we can find a way out of here without running through an ocean of fists." Alice nodded, lying back against the wall with her hands on the precious lump in her abdomen.

* * *

All of the images on TV... all of the reports... none of it compared to seeing the destruction caused by the riots with her own two eyes. Sam's Jetpack Backpack carried her well above the destruction, but the smoke from the numerous fires that littered the area threatened to choke her to death unless she swerved around them carefully. She knew she didn't have enough fuel to fly for too long, so she had to make it home before she ran out.

She spotted Beverly Hills High in the distance... as she'd expected, the place had been one of the first places mauled in the riots. Chances were all of the schools in the country had been the first victims of this self-assault. Pissed off teenagers were easily susceptible to mass riots, and most hated school anyway.

She continued past the school, searching for her large mansion on the edge of Beverly Hills. Finally she spotted it, but it was surrounded by a group of rioters bearing weapons and defiant screams. "Oh God no... mom..." Sam flew toward the ground outside the circle, landing heavily before charging into the crowd with her Backpack still on. "Move it! Out of the way!"

Finally she pushed her way inside to see the sofa go up in flames. "Where's my mother!?" Sam demanded angrily, marching up to the one who'd tossed the lighter onto the furniture. "Where is she!?"

"Hey, get out of my face!" He told her, stomping toward her threateningly.

Sam howled angrily and backfisted him across the cheek. He slammed into the wall, falling unconscious as she darted up the stairs. "Mom! Where are you!?" She emerged into the second floor hallway, trying to ignore the smoke that was gathering on the ceiling. "Moooom!"

She charged from room to room, kicking doors open in a frantic search for any sign of her mother. The smoke grew thicker, cutting off her air supply as she reached the last room in the building. It too came up empty. "Mom!" She coughed violently. "Damnit..." She turned to leave, but stopped when she saw the blaze spreading through the second floor hallway. The floor underneath her creaked as the flames ate though the house's support structure.

Desperately she ran to the window and whirled with a massive kick, but her over paranoid mother had installed shatterproof glass. She bounced off and hit the ground with a loud thud, coughing as the smoke filled her lungs. She couldn't last much longer... she could feel her lungs burning.

She pushed herself to her hands and knees, freezing when she heard the floor underneath her creak dangerously. Suddenly it gave way, plunging her through to the first story. She hit the ground flat on her back amid the falling pieces of debris. The flamed blazed all around her, consuming everything in sight. She could hear cheers from some of the rioters outside... she was near the door.

She heaved a mighty cough and pulled herself toward the door, but her burning lungs couldn't take any more. She collapsed to the floor, clawing at the carpeted floor desperately, but she didn't have the strength to pull herself forward. Everything began to go black, but she swore she could feel a pair of hands grabbing her biceps before she lost consciousness completely.

* * *

"The world is running dangerously short of calming, trusted voices." Jerry informed his remaining two spies as they streaked through the air over the Atlantic Ocean in the flower-painted WOOHP jet. "We must try to preserve those we have left, we need a stronghold of sanity. That is why you'll be going in to Britain, and kidnapping the Queen."

"Don't you mean, 'escorting her to safety'?" Clover asked.

"That would imply that her bodyguards know where she's going." Jerry replied. "For now, WOOHP headquarters has apparently gone undetected. She will be safe there, but only if no other soul knows where she is. And from there, she can speak to the people, perhaps restore some semblance of order. But even she cannot know where she's going before she gets there. If WOOHP is uncovered, it's all over for us."

"So kidnap. Yeah. Got it." Clover smirked.

"Really quickly now, you have the Turbofan Hairdryers, Expandable Cable Bungee Belts, Laser Lipsticks, Inflatable Micro-Rafts, and Anti-Gravity Cycles." He tossed the small packs of gadgets at the girls, as they mounted their vehicles. Looking out the window, they could all see the royal palace looming large over the horizon. "Good luck girls." The bottom of the planed opened beneath them, spilling them out into the night air.

"How do we sneak in?" Alex's voice came over the intercom in their motorcycle helmets.

"Time is of the essence. No sneaking. We break right through the front door." Clover reached into her backpack and whipped out her Turbofan hairdryer.

"The front door!? That's insane!" Alex complained.

"Good, then they'll never expect it." Clover replied with a grin. Alex stared at her for a moment, then whipped out her own Turbofan Hairdryer.

Their cycles arced through the air toward the large double doors. The blasts of the hairdryers flung them open and they streaked inside, flying right over the heads of every guard in the place. The guards shouted in alarm and reached for their weapons, but the spies swerved into the hallway behind the main chamber before any of them even had time to draw them.

They swerved through the long hallways, making their way upward. They ran over a few guards who were making their way to and from the queen's chambers, but that was the price one paid for being in a big hurry. Finally they used their Hairdryers to blow open the door to the queen's chambers and darted inside, grinding to a stop in the middle of the room.

"N... no! Get away from me!" The queen screamed angrily.

"Hey, we're the good guys. Come with us unless you want to be beaten into a nice royal pile of jelly!" Clover shouted. The Queen stared at her suspiciously, until her eyes went wide, staring beyond Clover fearfully. Slowly Clover looked back to see five shadowy little forms floating in the air behind her. Clover slowly looked forward again, gripping the steering wheel tightly with one hand.

The silence was broken only by the motors of the Anti-Gravity Cycles. Not even any breathing could be heard. Clover revved her motor warningly, shooting a glance at Alex. Alex looked back and gulped, nodding over at her and gripping her own steering wheel tightly.

Finally the silence was broken. Clover darted across the room toward the Queen while Alex did a 180 turn on her cycle, firing her Hairdyer at the five shapes. The blast of wind caught the floating figured off guard, blowing them back against the wall while Alex darted toward the window. Clover stopped just long enough to let the queen climb into the bike behind her before darting toward the window.

The dark shapes pulled themselves from the wall and streaked toward her in flashes of shadow. They slammed into the rear of the bike, detonating it on impact. "Your Highness!" Clover screamed as she and the queen flew out the window without the bike. She gripped the Queen's hand and pulled her close, trying to find a way to break their fall.

Alex swooped down underneath them, so that they landed on top of the hover cycle. "Hold on Clover!" Alex shouted through the intercom. Clover gripped the top of the vehicle with one hand, holding the queen firmly around the waist with the other. Clover looked back frantically, but the five shadows were still hot on their trail.

"Alex, behind us!" Clover screamed.

"I see 'em!" Alex shouted back. The dark figures streaked right for them, but Alex darted back and forth in the air on their set path, narrowly dodging each assault. One of the shadows clipped the side of the bike, jerking it hard enough to almost dislodge Clover and the Queen. "Grrr! Stupid freaks!" Alex shouted as she jerked the wheel back toward the lucky attacker.

A loud metal clang echoed through the air as the bike collided with the attacker's head, sending them into a freefall toward the ocean. "Ah HAH! GOT ONE!" Alex shouted victoriously. Clover noted with some interest that one of the other shadows broke off their pursuit to chase the falling one. Perhaps they weren't COMPLETELY under control...

In her elation, Alex forgot that there were still three more pursuers after them. "ALEEEX!" Clover screamed as one of the shadows came down in a graceful arc, tearing right through the rear wheel. The bike leapt forward in a shower of sparks, arching down toward the Atlantic Ocean. Without warning Clover felt the queen shift from beside her, lifted off the bike by their attackers. "Your Highness!" Clover grabbed her ankles quickly being dragged off of the bike with her legs dangling in thin air. "AAAHHH! ALEX!"

"CLOVVEEEERRRR!" Alex screamed as the bike plummeted toward the water.

The queen screamed in terror and pain as Clover's hands dug into her ankle. Clover tried to pull herself up, but when she looked forward she saw a shadow waiting in front of her with its fist drawn back.

The punch instantly loosened Clover's grip, sending her sailing backward toward the ocean far below. She could barely see it coming until she was only twenty feet above the water. She didn't even have time to curl up into a ball before she slammed into the surface, losing consciousness instantly.

* * *

Alice jerked out of an uncomfortable sleep when she heard something bang into the door of the bathroom they had taken refuge in. Crimson put a hand on her shoulder as she slid up the wall in a cautious crouch. Alice stood up beside her, staring at the door as it rocked again, as though a weight were being pulled off of it.

Crimson stepped forward cautiously, gripping the doorknob and turning it slowly. She suddenly thrust the doorknob open, but it didn't go very far. It slammed into something, which fell to the floor outside the bathroom with a loud thud and a pained yelp.

Crimson and Alice stepped out of the bathroom, both beaming when they saw the figure on the floor. "Pam!" they both knelt down beside her.

"Ugh... hi to you too..." Pam grumbled as her partners grabbed her arms and hefted her up off the floor.

"Sorry, we thought you were a rioter." Crimson said apologetically. Alice blinked and sniffed the air curiously. There was something she didn't recognize... had it been there before they went in the bathroom and she just didn't notice?

"Come on, the coast is clear for now. All the activity's moved out of this area. There's nothing left to break." Pam told them. Alice moved close to her, sniffing. It was coming from her... her hair to be more exact. Did she start using a new hair gel?

Alice shrugged it off and followed her partners as they emerged from the small pastry shop. It was like a war zone. The walls of buildings were torn apart, cars were upturned and smashed with hammers and baseball bats. The streetlights were literally pulled to the ground with wires, and the ground itself was torn up in some places. The destruction continued as far as the eye could see in all directions.

"This is terrible..." Alice muttered in horror.

"Just wait a few weeks. The entire world could very well end up looking just like this. And probably will." Crimson sighed and put her hand on Alice's shoulder. "We should probably tell Jerry we're out and just go home... we're not cut out for this anymore anyway."

"No." Pam turned toward them. "We should go see him in person... face-to-face. It's the least we can do at this point." Alice nodded slightly in agreement.

"We agreed to this, we should at least have the guts to tell him to his face that we're turning tail." Alice agreed.

"Alright." Crimson nodded. "We'll find a way to get back to WOOHP headquarters. It's probably the only safe place left on Earth anyway, if there are any safe places." So they turned to walk toward the airport. It would be impossible for even a large army of ill-equipped protestors to take out a jetliner, so they should be able to take one and make their way back to America. It was just a matter of time before she was home, Alice told herself. And she could pick up her life again for the second time.

* * *

Jerry leaned back in his seat, staring at the screen in front of him. Professor Utonium sat off to his side, with the trapped Whoopass Girl still sitting in her cage. The silence was deafening as they watched the time tick past. There was no contact from any of their field agents. Not Sam, nor Clover and Alex, nor Pam, Alice and Crimson. Not a single one of their operatives was reporting in.

With a soft sigh Jerry turned in his seat to look back at the Professor, who was staring blankly at the monitor in front of them. He had barely moved since the girls had all left. They both knew there was nothing left to be done here at base, all they could do was look for an outside weapon and try to soften the demon's psychological blows in the meantime.

The Whoopass Girl turned her gaze to meet Jerry's, staring into his eyes with an unsettling certainty held deep within them. This was the end... no matter what they did, nothing would ever be the same now. It was almost enough to crack even the battle-hardened WOOHP Director... but hope was growing dimmer by the second as the entire world dissolved into deeper and deeper chaos.

TO BE CONTINUED


	5. The Torment

Part 5: The Torment  
  
Normally the sound of the ocean waves was so relaxing... it had often lulled Alex to sleep on a tropical beach or even when she put in one of her tapes of ocean waves on her stereo system. They'd always been her favorite sound in the world... but after floating aimlessly in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean for fifteen hours straight in the WOOHP Micro-Raft, she was getting sick and tired of listening to it. Her compowder was lost to the ocean waves on impact, along with the Anti-Gravity cycle.  
  
"Helloooooo!" She shouted wearily, resting her chin against the side of the raft. "Clover! Anybody!" Her voice cracked as she yelled and she sank back onto the side of the raft. She wished she still had her Turbofan Hairdryer so she could at least steer the raft, but she'd dropped it during the wild flight away from the Powerpuff Girls and Boys.  
  
What in her life had she done to deserve this kind of karma? Looking back, she could think of lots of little things. Perhaps after sixteen years, it had really built up. "I'm sorry!" She lifted herself up and shouted at the ocean waves. "I'm sorry I broke Sam's stereo and hid the evidence when I was ten!" She stared out across the water, her eyelids drooping heavily.  
  
"I'm sorry I returned Buns of Steel to the video store instead of Abs of Steel when I was twelve! I'm sorry I killed Clover's goldfish and tried to replace it with a goldfish cracker when I was six!" She stared out across the water, watching the sun begin to set after floating aimlessly for the entire day with no shelter from the sweltering heat. "I'm sorry I tried to get David as my boyfriend all those times, even though I knew Clover and Sam wanted him!"  
  
Alex screamed desperately, her voice temporarily gaining strength. "I'm sorry I punched Joey McGovern when I was five for punching me! I'm sorry I let Clover take the rap for stealing that candy bar from Seven-Eleven when I was seven! I'm sorry I accidentally left the parking break off and wrecked those cars! I'm sorry I stole first base in co-ed baseball!" She sank down onto the side of the board again, tears sliding down her cheeks. "I'm sorry..." She squeaked in despair.  
  
Alex sank back into the boat, the tears sliding freely down her face. "I'm sorry... please believe me..." she begged to the ocean winds as she buried her face in her hands. This was hopeless... her stomach had been screaming to be filled for hours now. But there was nothing in this ocean... she hadn't even heard any... fish?  
  
She opened her eyes when she heard a splashing sound on the left side of the boat. With limbs weakened and shaking from hunger, she pulled herself up to the side of the boat, looking down in surprise. She could see a school of fish swimming just under the surface of the water.  
  
Alex gaped in surprise, then looked up at the sky. "Thank you!" She shouted to the open seas before plunging her hand into the water after a fish. It looked like she hit it dead on, but she felt nothing and the fish darted away from her. "Hey, no don't go!" Alex shouted desperately, reaching after them. In her zeal she leaned too far and the entire raft capsized.  
  
"Aglugh!" Alex screamed under the water, thrusting her limbs up toward the surface. She emerged and took a deep breath, staring up at her upside down raft. She tried to push it right side up again, but only succeeded in pushing herself under the water until she managed to surface again.  
  
She was shivering violently when she finally managed to pull the raft upright and drag her sopping wet body inside. She collapsed to the bottom of the raft, curling up against the bitter night chill. It was amplified by the soaking she'd gotten in the ocean... it felt like her entire body was coated in a sheet of ice. The fish were gone... and so was the sun. There was nothing she could do now but wait until the fish came back or someone found her...

* * *

A hand gently rubbed her back, massaging her burned and aching lungs into functioning. She could finally feel herself breathing, she could finally feel anything, actually. She rolled onto her back with her eyes closed. She could hear the hum of an engine, and the couch in which she lay rocked back and forth as though in movement. The hand moved to her chest and pressed down again one more time, providing both strength and comfort.  
  
"I... I'm fine..." Sam's words came out in a barely identifiable croak through a parched, and scorched throat. She reached up and gripped her neck painfully.  
  
"Here, water'll help that." A familiar, but shocking voice told her. Sam opened her mouth as a stream of cooling liquid poured into her throat. She opened her eyes as the surprise of her life flooded into her vision.  
  
"M... Mandy?" Sam croaked in shock, staring up at the dreaded purple-eyed purple-haired vicious purple people eater. "What... why... how...?"  
  
Mandy held up a finger as she addressed each question. "What, I saved your life obviously. Why, because I'm getting sick of having only Arnold to talk to." Mandy smirked. "How, because I pay attention in Health class. You don't become the most perfect girl at Bev High by being an academic slouch ya know."  
  
For a moment Sam wanted to scream at her, tell her that she would've been fine, despite that being an absolute lie. The simple fact was, as bad as it seemed, she owed her life to Mandy. So she settled for two words. "Thank you..."  
  
Mandy blinked, apparently taken off guard by the civil words. "Uh... you're welcome..." She replied. Sam nodded and groaned as she tried to push herself up to a sitting position. The sun was shining from its highest point, and they were driving through an open plain, untouched by the madness that was ruining all of the man-made cities on the planet. She supposed there was a metaphor in there somewhere, but she didn't really care.  
  
"How long was I out? Where are we?" Sam asked. Her voice was getting stronger, but it still had a grating edge to it that she hated. She reached down to look for her compowder, but it was gone... she must have dropped it in the blaze.  
  
"Two days, and Utah." Mandy replied. Sam blinked and looked at her questioningly. "Well Utah is the most religious place in the country. If anyone can keep from rioting and killing each other... and more importantly us... it'll be them." Sam stared up at her, surprised at the kind of logical reasoning that had gone into it. She was right of course, Mormons were pacifists by nature, no matter how annoying they were to the rest of the world.  
  
"I don't think I can drive anymore without rest Mandy..." Arnold's voice cracked as he turned his head to look back at them. His eyes were completely bloodshot, a compliment to his messed up hair and swollen cheek. He looked like he'd been in the thick of one of the riots... so how did he meet up with Mandy? Did she lead him out? Why was she playing the selfless leader here? It was so confusing...  
  
"Hey no prob., pull it over and I'll take the wheel for a while." Arnold pulled the van to the side of the rode and put on the parking brake before climbing into the back. Mandy climbed up between the seats to take the steering wheel. It wasn't so strange the more Sam thought about it. Mandy had always been a natural born leader with boundless charisma that drew people into following her. In a way, this whole situation seemed to allow Mandy's best attribute to fully shine, without being constricted by the regulations and rivalries of school.  
  
Sam pushed herself up and climbed up between the seats, plopping down in the passenger's seat. "You didn't find my mom in the house too did you?" Sam asked worriedly. Mandy shook her head.  
  
"It's impossible to find anybody in this mess. Everything is totally messed up, even the phones don't work." Mandy replied with a wistful sigh. "I miss my cell-phone..." Sam chuckled and shook her head, looking toward the front of the van. They passed a sign saying 'Welcome to Salt Lake City' on the side of the rode as the city itself hove into view. It looked like Mandy's hunch was right... the city was completely intact. And it looked beautiful.  
  
"We made it." Mandy sighed and leaned back in her seat, with a smile as genuine as Sam had never seen on her before. As they neared the city, they saw a pair of men in business suits standing by the side of the road with some awfully big weapons. They gestured for Mandy to stop while they approached the vehicle at the city's edge.  
  
"Excuse me, but I'm afraid you're going to have to leave." One of the guards told them apologetically.  
  
"What? We can't, everything else is either demolished or going to be demolished." Mandy replied.  
  
"We're sorry, but we can't take the risk of letting people in here. So please, turn around and leave."  
  
"This is complete bullshit, I demand to talk to your leader."  
  
"God is our leader." The man cocked his rifle with one hand, glaring at her with the conviction of a man who knew he would be right to shoot if he was forced to.  
  
"Okay... okay... fine..." Mandy growled as she put the van into reverse. "Just remember this when you meet your God, hope he's more forgiving than I am." She pulled back away from the city until she could turn it around. Her hands clutched the steering wheel tightly as her teeth ground together. "Those high-and-mighty pricks..."  
  
"Well, can you really blame them?" Sam asked. "The rest of the world is going completely insane."  
  
"Yes. I can blame them." Mandy replied simply. Sam rolled her eyes and sighed softly, looking up at the sky overhead. The sun was shining brightly down on them, but something looked wrong. It wasn't as blue as it normally was... in fact, it had a strange tint to it. It looked like it was turning... red...   
  
_every citizen of Townsville that remained in this Hellhole emerged under the crimson sun_  
  
It was coming true...

* * *

Two days had passed... two days, and still Alex had caught and eaten nothing. She was so weak she could barely lean against the side of the raft. Her throat was bone dry. She was tempted to drink the ocean water, but she knew that would be suicide. She simply lay on the bottom of her boat with her neck propped against the side, staring up at the shining sun high above. She could remember her first day as a WOOHP agent... her, Sam and Clover had been so outmatched.  
  
"Get away from me you teddy-bear smuggling ape!" Alex had shouted in anger as she'd been caught around the throat by one gigantic, furry arm.  
  
"You no take me bears!" The ape howled, hefting her up over its head with a primal yell. Wait a minute...  
  
Alex shook her head... that never happened. Their first case was... God what was it? The toy-making Queen Tassara? No... no Tassarra was a good guy. Who made those toys? Macker the Safe-Cracker? No... Tim Scam? Now there was a villain she remembered well even in her half-delusional state. She'd almost lost Jerry to that lying little coward... Jerry...  
  
She smiled as she remembered the only father she'd ever known. She had no clue where her biological father was, but since they'd joined WOOHP Jerry had become far more than just their superior officer. He was perhaps the only person alive she was as close to as she was to Sam and Clover. Sam... where was she now? Had she found her mom? Was she hiding out somewhere, waiting for the world to end, or the madness to stop?  
  
And Clover... the last Alex had seen of her she was being carried away by those Chemical-X freaks. Where could they have taken her? She'd thought she'd seen a splash after she'd managed to get her raft inflated, but after paddling with her hands to that spot she found it empty. Perhaps it hadn't been Clover... that was all she could hope for really.  
  
Hope... it seemed like such a stupid word at this point, but one she clung to. Her weak muscles refused to work anymore, and she could feel her body getting stiffer. It was like she was going into rigor mortis before her brain stopped working. Was she becoming a zombie? That thought made her laugh. What would zombie-Alex do? Walk out of the boat and fall into the ocean, to be crushed in its depths without the ability to swim?  
  
Another laugh burst out of her throat in spite of her hopeless situation. With a smile she took a deep breath, staring up at the blue... but strangely tinted sky. Maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her due to starvation... but it almost looked red.

* * *

The trip to WOOHP took longer than Alice had thought it would. The plane they hijacked from China had been able to carry them to the mainland of America, but ran out of fuel before they reached the vicinity of WOOHP headquarters. They'd had to 'jack a car and make their way to WOOHP headquarters on the busy and quite dangerous freeways of America. Almost a week after the leaders had begun being assassinated, people were still too stunned at the loss of their old lives for rational thought.  
  
Stupid morons, Alice thought to herself. Their lives were over because they depended too much on these Government figures. The end of the world was their own doing, their own helplessness and panicky nature. The police forces and WOOHP had been protecting them for decades, keeping them safe from each other. Now without any protection or direction the majority had no idea what to do or how to act.  
  
"We're here." Crimson finally stated as they drove up to the bank of the small river that cut WOOHP headquarters off from the surrounding countryside. It had taken them five days to make it to this point. They could probably have called Jerry for pickup with their compowders, but it seemed selfish to try to use WOOHP resources to travel while he was probably busy protecting the little sanity left in the world.  
  
Crimson took out her compowder and pressed a few buttons on it before looking up at the massive building. The large front double doors slid open, and a steel bridge spread across the chasm separating them from their goal. They waited for it to stop moving, then set off across the bridge.  
  
Alice was stunned when she got inside. There were no guards, no personnel to be seen anywhere. As Crimson closed the doors behind them Alice and Pam walked further into the building.  
  
"Okay... this is creepy." Crimson said as she moved to join her partners.  
  
"Jerry's office... he at least should be here." Alice replied. She walked to the elevator and pressed the button to call it. Pam followed silently behind both of them, examining her surroundings with mild interest.  
  
They reached the main tactical level and stepped off the elevator, making their way up to Jerry's office on the second floor. They found Jerry sitting on a small chair, staring at the screen in front of him. A middle-aged scientist and a strange looking girl were behind him, with the girl trapped inside an energy barrier.  
  
"Jerry..." Crimson said as they walked in.  
  
Jerry whirled quickly in surprise. "Pam, Alice, Crimson!" He stood up quickly, a smile spreading across his features. "I haven't been contacted by any of my agents since this all began... I was beginning to think the fight was already over."  
  
"I'm afraid it is Jerr... for us at least..." Crimson replied uncomfortably. Jerry stared at her, the elation draining from his eyes. "We wanted to tell you in person... Alice is pregnant and we're all just too old for this..."  
  
"I understand completely." Jerry nodded solemnly.  
  
The scientist quirked one eyebrow, sniffing the air confusedly. "That scent... it's so familiar..." He said. The three spies and Jerry looked over at him. "It's... hair... gel..."  
  
"I'm surprise your memory works so well, old man." Pam said with a grin. Alice and Crimson whirled on her in surprise.  
  
"Pamela? What are you saying?" Jerry asked.  
  
"This was the one place He couldn't find... and you two led me right to it. I expected it to be harder." Pam grinned and flexed her fingers threateningly as her hair began to move on its own. Pitch black strands of hair shot through the blond, ripping it apart like a wig. "But like He said you would, you fell for it easily because I was your 'friend'."  
  
"No... Sedusa..." The Professor jumped to his feet in surprise. Suddenly the pitch-black tendrils of hair shot forward, latching around both Alice and Crimson's waists. She lifted them into the air, her tendrils squeezing into their flesh. They both screamed in pain, trying to pull at her hair frantically.  
  
Jerry reached for a weapon, but Sedusa threw Alice at him, knocking them both to the floor in a heap. The free tendril grabbed the weapon, pulling it to her so she could take it in her hand. "Not just WOOHP... but the last Powerpuff Girl too." She looked over at the strange-looking girl with a grin.  
  
"That's WHOOPASS Girl!" The girl complained. She floated up from the box as if to fight, but bumped into the energy box.  
  
"Leave her alone!" The Professor exclaimed, stepping between Sedusa and the girl. His stand didn't last long, as Sedusa brought Crimson around to slam her into him, sending them both sailing into the wall roughly. Sedusa grinned as she approached the energy box.  
  
"WOOHP is over, and you are His." Sedusa grinned as her tendrils reached toward the box. Suddenly the box vanished, leaving the girl floating in mid-air with nothing holding her back. "Wh... what!?" She looked back to see Jerry clutching his side painfully, with a remote in his hand. Sedusa looked back down slowly, to see the Whoopass Girl staring up at her with a vicious grin.  
  
Her hair tendrils lashed out, but before they could touch her Blossom streaked in and slammed one fist into her face, sending her sailing back into the solid steel wall. She groaned an collapsed to the floor, a massive bruise taking shape on her formerly flawless face. She groaned in pain, reaching up with one trembling hand to touch her face.  
  
"It doesn't matter... He already has this location. Your brethren are on their way Blossom. They'll take out this small resistance movement, and make you one of them."  
  
"I'll take them all on." Blossom growled.  
  
"No Blossom." The Professor gripped the side of the table, pushing himself up. Suddenly they could all feel the building beginning to shudder. The others were there... at the bottom of the building. "Get out of here... you can't fight them all. If you try, you'll be taken too."  
  
"The Whoopass Girls never run!" Blossom shouted defiantly.  
  
"You're not a Whoopass Girl Blossom! You're my daughter!" The Professor gripped her shoulders, staring into her eyes. "Please... get out of here. Hide far, far away. Leave and don't look back for anything." Blossom looked like she was about to protest again, but the entire building shuddered violently and began to tip to the side. The Professor barely kept himself in place as Jerry and the other two spies slid across the floor. "Please go... NOW!"  
  
Without another word Blossom whirled and burst straight through the ceiling in a flash of pink light. No sooner had she vanished than five dark shadows burst through the floor, hovering in midair.  
  
"Blossom's getting away! After her!" Sedusa cried, pointing up toward the new hole in the roof. The dark shapes whirled and broke through the ceiling in hot pursuit of the rogue Powerpuff Girl. Sedusa pushed herself to her feet, intent on finishing her victory over the others, but she forgot two things...  
  
Two feet that slammed into her face, knocking her back against the wall as Crimson and Alice brought their legs down again. Crimson shook her head and looked back at the two older men. "What do we do now? They know where WOOHP headquarters is... this place isn't safe anymore."  
  
"I thought you girls were quitting." Jerry reminded her.  
  
Crimson looked back at Sedusa scornfully. "We have to find the real Pam before we can even think of going home."  
  
"Are there any other bases we can hide in?" The Professor asked.  
  
"Perhaps." Jerry replied mysteriously. "We'll certainly have to find something... staying here is no longer an option."

* * *

Five days... Alex swore she'd counted five sunsets since she had wound up stranded out here... but that was impossible, wasn't it? People were supposed to die of thirst after a few days... though she might have been mistaken. Her mind felt so strange... simply staring at the sky was like looking through a dark haze. Her memories paraded in front of her eyes, reminding her of what was totally missing now... why wasn't she dead?  
  
"It's simple, little girl." A strange voice responded. She blinked slowly, trying to figure out if it was an illusion or someone really speaking to her. "I assure you, I'm quite real." The voice said. Alex turned her head to the side, quaking with just that little effort. A strange, red-skinned figure was walking on top of the water alongside her raft, staring down at her.  
  
Alex opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a weak squeak. Somehow though, the red figure seemed to know the question. "You're not dead... because I don't want you dead yet." He grabbed her raft, halting it in the middle of the ocean and kneeling down beside her. He gripped her chin with one crablike claw, grinning and leaning in close to her face.  
  
"There is no escape from me, girl." His breath brushed across her cheeks. She wanted to push him back, but her limbs would barely move at all. "Even death is no refuge for you three... you who cost me Blossom." He dropped her head back onto the raft. "I want you to watch your flesh slowly waste away. Rest assured, there will be no rescue, there will be no help for you."  
  
"Y... you..." Alex squeaked, trying to push herself up form the bottom of the raft. The demon watched her curiously. "You... won't get away... with this..." Alex pushed herself to her hands and knees, but her arms buckled and she fell back to the bottom of the raft. The demon broke into a dark laugh, clicking his claws together.  
  
"Are you going to stop me, girl?" He demanded in a suddenly dark growl. Alex grunted as her hand shot up, gripping him around the throat suddenly. Her grip was one of a leaf clinging desperately to a tree branch. She could barely hold onto him, but still she pulled herself up, trying to pull him down and attack him.  
  
"If... I have... to..." Alex growled, raising her other hand to grip his throat as well.  
  
He simply reached up and gripped her wrists with his claws, cutting into her wrists until her blood started running up her arms toward the raft. Alex bit her lip in pain, but refused to let go until he finally yanked her arms back, removing them from his throat.  
  
"Such spirit... such a petty human ideal." He dropped her arms back onto the raft, gripping her throat and hefting her up. He stood to his full height, which was rather considerable. Alex choked in pain as his claw bit into her throat, blood dripping down her chest, back and shoulders. "The flesh... when stressed... is stronger." He grinned.  
  
"I... won't... let you... get away with this..." Alex croaked. Her voice didn't even sound human anymore, between the extreme dehydration and the claw gripping her throat.  
  
The demon grinned and hefted her back, throwing her into the raft like he was spiking a football. She bounced off the bottom, landing against the side with her head hanging back over the water. Alex groaned and lifted her head to look at him. Her body felt strained just from that little movement, and it made her sick to watch the demon stare down at her.  
  
"Enjoy your suffering, girl." He told her calmly. "It will last a very long time." A lighthearted, flutelike laugh echoed across the ocean as he vanished into a plume of crimson smoke. Alex tried to push herself off the side of the raft, but could barely move her arms. She collapsed back again, closing her eyes and heaving a deep sigh. Back to waiting... perhaps a worse torture than Hell could ever be.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	6. A New Life

Part 6: A New Life  
  
The sky overhead was losing its comforting deep blue color day by day. In a few more weeks, even the night would shine with that damnable red glow. Sam knew, Blossom had told her this would happen. The future was today... there didn't seem to be anything she could do to stop it. But just maybe she could outlast it. She hadn't expected to outlast it with Mandy and Arnold, but a little company would be a good thing.  
  
She took her eyes away from the road to glance over at Mandy in the passenger's seat. The three of them had been taking turns driving since they'd been turned away in Utah, with occasional stops to gather the increasingly disgusting food from the stores and take bathroom breaks. They hadn't been going anywhere in particular until Mandy suggested they head back to California. The beach seemed as safe a place as any, and her family owned a small summer-home right on the shoreline.  
  
It wasn't their first choice. They would be isolated from what little society remained, by themselves until everyone decided to snap back to their senses. In Salt Lake they would have at least had other humans to interact with. But the old saying held true, beggars could not be choosers.  
  
Sam sighed and shook her head, turning back to the road. Over the last few days, Mandy had really impressed her. Of course, nobody ever accused Mandy of being an idiot. Evil and whiny maybe, but never stupid. She supposed she'd just never seen Mandy's more admirable qualities, being her high-school nemesis and all.  
  
She turned off of the freeway when she saw a sign signifying rest stops. She pulled into the parking lot of a small convenience store and reached over to shake Mandy's shoulder. She woke with a start, blinking in surprise. "I thought we could use some more food." Sam told her. Mandy rubbed her eyes and nodded, yawning as she stepped out of the van. "Should we wake up Arnold?"  
  
"Nah, he's fine." Mandy replied, turning to head into the small store. She stopped when they entered, looking around in delight. "Alright! Jackpot!" She exclaimed. The last three they'd checked were close to towns and cities, and had long since been either looted or occupied by gun-toting mobs. This one however looked like it was still fully stocked with everything one would need to survive for a good long while.  
  
"Help me load up the water, we should get as much of this as we can." Mandy grabbed several gallons of water and turned to haul them toward the van. Sam followed behind her, carrying water back and forth like a girl in an African village or something.  
  
"Tell me something Mandy. What are we going to do once we get to your summer-home?" Sam asked as they went back into the store for more water bottles.  
  
"Hmm..." Mandy hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "I guess we just live out our lives. Hopefully we'll run into at least one sane cute boy."  
  
"Why?" Sam asked curiously.  
  
"Do YOU want to repopulate the Earth with Arnold?" Mandy grimaced. Sam couldn't help but laugh as she loaded those water bottles into the van. Mandy leaned against the side of the van, watching her. "Besides, people get... lonely, you know?" Sam nodded, leaning against the other side of the van. She was already beginning to feel that problem creeping up on her... the feeling of being alone in the world. It was probably even worse for Mandy, who was used to having boys flocking to her every whim.  
  
"Well there are still plenty of fish in the sea." Sam reminded her. "They just happen to be eating each other by the dozens right now."  
  
"Ugh, I hate fish. But speaking of eating..." Mandy walked into the store again, with Sam following right behind her. "Grab anything that'll last the trip, the fewer stops we have to make through San Francisco the better."  
  
"Why? Is it really bad there?" Sam asked.  
  
"That's where I found Arnold." Mandy replied. And Sam remembered the state he'd been in when she'd woken up a few days ago, bruised and messed up almost beyond recognition. Yeah... perhaps speed was a good idea.  
  
They stocked up on anything that could keep for a while. Various candy bars, Beef-Jerky, dozens of cans of Spaghetti-O's, or anything else they could eat without prior preparation. They loaded it all into the back of the van with the water and pulled the door closed.  
  
"That should last until we get there. After that, we could always take up fishing as a hobby." Mandy said. Sam started toward the driver's side, but Mandy stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "I'll take the wheel for a while." Sam stared at her for a moment, then shrugged and climbed in the passenger's side. When they were both in Mandy pulled them out of the parking lot and headed down the road again.

* * *

Townsville... Blossom remembered it so well. But what she remembered could never have been real... this crumbling, tattered Hellhole could never have been the haven of peace and prosperity she thought it had been. She'd just flown over five other cities, none of which were this bad. Her sisters must have had a hand in bringing this place to its knees. It was the ultimate irony... Townsville's protectors destroying it with their own hands. Yeah, that had Him written all over it.  
  
She floated toward Pokey Oaks Kindergarten, landing on the front lawn and pushing the door open. The door creaked in protest before falling to the ground with a heavy thud. She remembered this... she'd seen this fifty years in the future, when Him had taken over. Time was catching up with what she'd seen, and it was catching up fast.  
  
"Hey, gimme that back!" A small voice shouted from further down the street. Blossom walked outside, using her telescopic vision to take a look. A little girl was reaching furiously for a kite, being flown by a much larger boy. Behind them it looked like all of the remnants of the town had gathered. Some were eating and drinking merrily, laughing together.  
  
Of course... now Blossom knew why he didn't simply have her sisters and the boys go on a worldwide rampage. If he'd done that, it would have given all humanity a common enemy. As it was, with surgical strikes to all of the leading, calming forces, he'd cut down all of the things that kept people from obliterating each other and caused a panic at the same time. Sheer genius...  
  
"B... Blossom?" An old, familiar voice asked. Blossom looked toward the playground to see her old teacher, Miss Keane, sitting on one of the swings. "Is that you? You're back?"  
  
"Yeah... I am." Blossom replied. The teacher jumped off of the swing and ran toward her, wrapping her up in a tight hug.  
  
"Blossom! Where have you been!? Everything's been so terrible... and you've been missing..." She sobbed lightly, clinging to her as if she'd just found the Holy Grail. "Those... those shadow things destroyed everything... it was terrible... but you're here now... so it'll be okay..."  
  
Blossom growled. Once she would have said 'yes, everything will be fine now', but now, as a Whoopass Girl, she saw them for what they really were. They used her to keep their city safe, they cared nothing for her as a person. Still, she didn't want Him to find her, and this was probably the last place he and his new cronies would look for her.  
  
"Yeah... it'll be fine." She replied, hugging her back. She let the teacher hold onto her, turning her mind to more important matters. She alone had any kind of power against Him, her sisters, and the Rowdyruff Boys. She needed a plan to bring them all down... but she needed time to do that. But she took comfort in the knowledge that it was only a matter of time before she found a way.

* * *

"Okay, is everyone ready?" Mandy asked as they moved down the street with a full tank of gas and a week's worth of food in the back. "We're not stopping once we enter the city limits." She heard the clicks of two seatbelts, as Sam and Arnold both strapped themselves in securely.  
  
"Ready Mandy." Arnold replied.  
  
"Good to go." Sam declared.  
  
"Okay then, onward!" Mandy declared, slamming her foot down on the gas. The van lurched forward, barreling down the last hill, straight past the 'Welcome to San Francisco' sign. The van roared into the city, driving on top of broken glass, pavement, and human bodies. Mandy tried not to look at the road, but she heard Sam's breath catch in her throat.  
  
"Oh my God..." Sam muttered in horror, staring down at the street. That was all that needed to be said really. Occasionally they passed by masses of people huddled together, or a brawl between two people or groups. Mandy groaned when she found herself hurtling toward an intersection full of fighting, screaming people.  
  
"How do we get around that?" Arnold asked. Mandy remained silent, keeping her foot on the gas and the van pointed toward the intersection. Sam seemed to read her thoughts, giving her a horrified look.  
  
"Mandy you can't!"  
  
"It's us or them..." Mandy replied softly.  
  
"No it isn't, we can find a way around! Come on, turn!" Sam demanded. Mandy bit her lip as the van hurtled toward the riot at full speed. A few people saw it coming, screaming and trying to get out of the way. The crowd was too thick for anyone to move though.  
  
"Damnit!" Mandy yanked the wheel to the side, sending them into a sharp turn to the right. The van tilted dangerously to the side, the right wheels literally lifting off the ground. The supplies in the back of the van slammed into the left wall, tilting them even further. It was a stroke of luck that the van's roof slid up against the light pole on the sidewalk, as this pushed it back the other way onto all four wheels. They slid between the light pole and the building on the corner, emerging from the sidewalk a moment later with pale-faces and heavy breath.  
  
"Let's never... do that again..." Arnold squeaked fearfully.  
  
"You did the right thing Mandy..." Sam said, reaching one shaking hand over to put it on her shoulder. Mandy's knuckles finally loosened up on the steering wheel from their bone white death grip. She gulped and heaved a huge sigh, trying to get them through the city... but she did ease up on the gas pedal a little bit.  
  
"Hey Arnold, pass me a water will ya?" Sam reached her hand into the seat behind her. In a moment she brought it forward again with the requested drink in hand. "Thanks."  
  
"No problem Sam." Arnold replied. They drove through the city like this for a long time, with the sun sinking rapidly toward the horizon. She'd wanted to be at the beach before nightfall... it could be a death trap if they had to stop in the middle of the city. Her spirits lightened when they came to the top of a hill, looking out across the city to see that the beach is just a straight shot in front of him.  
  
"Finally! We're gonna make it!" Mandy exclaimed happily.  
  
"Woohoo! We can kiss this stuffy van goodbye!" Sam cheered, with Arnold joining in meekly. They roared down the side of the hill, aiming for the beach at top speed. Mandy saw the man on the side of the road with a shotgun, but she didn't pay any attention to him. At this speed he couldn't possibly hit the van... but she had never thought anyone would raid a police supply closet.  
  
The man kicked his leg forward, sending a steel strip across the length of the road. All four tired exploded on contact with the spike strip, sending the van into the air for a moment until it came down on the rims, sending up a shower of sparks behind them. Mandy, Sam, and Arnold screamed as the van slid uncontrollably along the street, carried forward by the massive momentum they'd built up.  
  
Finally the van skidded to a halt, that horrible screech of steel on pavement coming to an end. Mandy looked back through the rear windshield to see the man with the shotgun marching toward them. A group of other men were coming up behind him, all holding various kinds of weapons.  
  
"Let's get out of here!" Mandy gripped her door handle, but Sam grabbed her wrist.  
  
"No, take a closer look. One of them has a sniper scope, he could pick us off like rabbits." Sam told her seriously. "We have to find a way to sneak out... or over power them."  
  
"Over power them? We don't have any weapons." Mandy complained.  
  
"Well I don't see a way out, do you?" Sam asked. Mandy looked around, then shook her head. "Just stay here... I'll take care of this." Sam unbuckled her seat belt and climbed back into the back seat, stepping over Arnold to reach the back doors. Mandy unbuckled her seatbelt and sank down to the floor in front of her seat, leaning to the side to watch Sam.  
  
Sam ripped open a package of water bottles, taking one bottle in the spaces between each of her fingers. She stared out the back window for a few moments, then ducked down, putting her palm against the door handle.  
  
Suddenly she shoved the handle down, throwing the doors open and hurling the water bottles forward. She vanished from Mandy's view, but she could see bright flashes, and hear the sound of rapid gunfire from the back of the van. "Oh my God... Sam..." She muttered in horror. Arnold, who had taken refuge on the floor between the front and middle seats, got up on his knees to take a peak.  
  
"Arnold, get down!" Mandy shouted far too late. A single flash shone from the back of the van, and a spurt of crimson splashed against the dashboard. Harold slowly fell backward, hitting the ground with a cold, lifeless gaze staring up at the ceiling. Mandy's mouth fell open, her trembling hands trying to find the door handle behind her.  
  
The door opened on its own and a strong hand gripped her hair, dragging her out of the van. She screamed and kicked with all her might, but one thick arm wrapped around her entire body. Her eyes went wide when she saw Sam come around the side of the van, howling like a madman with half her body covered in blood. The man with Mandy raised a gun, but Sam was on them before he could level it.  
  
Her flying kick seemed to head right for Mandy's face, missing by less than an inch to slam into Mandy's attacker's face instead. Sam flew past Mandy, landing on top of the unconscious man in a crouch. She pushed herself to her feet and turned around. It was then that Mandy noticed her left arm was hanging limply at her side... most of that blood was hers.  
  
"Sam... Sam!" Mandy rushed forward as Sam wobbled, threatening to fall on her side. Mandy grabbed her and held her up. Her eyes were closing. "Wake up Sam! Stay awake!" Mandy slapped her with her free hand.  
  
"I'm... I'm up..." Sam replied weakly.  
  
"Geeze..." Mandy quickly pulled off her violet vest, crumpling it up and pressing it over the gunshot wound in Sam's shoulder. Sam winced in pain and squeezed her eyes shut. "Hold it there while we go for the beach. We can fix it right when we get to the house." Sam nodded, bringing her good arm up to hold the now bloody vest in place.  
  
"Just hold on..." Mandy mumbled, marching forward with Sam hanging off of her shoulder. "A few blocks... just hold on." She chanted softly. It was so close now, she could see the old chimney rising out of the roof, with the small waves washing up against the support columns. It was just how she remembered it... but she had no time for nostalgia right now.

* * *

The WOOHP jet flew high above the battered and blasted landscape that had once been the United States of America. Jerry, Professor Utonium, Alice, and Crimson all sat in the comfortable couches on board. Jerry stared out the window, watching for their destination. The autopilot was guiding them toward the one WOOHP installation that couldn't have been discovered.  
  
"Let me get this straight..." Alice sat up, staring at Jerry in concentration. "Area 51... the place that the Government has been 'covering up' for decades... and the Roswell incident... were all elaborate hoaxes to cover up the WOOHP science lab buried underneath the military bunker?"  
  
"A fake cover up intended to keep people from ever guessing the truth." Crimson smirked. "That seems really strange, even for WOOHP."  
  
"Yes well, as the saying goes. 'Sometimes the best place to hide is right out in the open'." Jerry looked away from the window to examine his spies across the plane.  
  
"Why go to such lengths to protect this specific site?" Crimson asked.  
  
"This is where WOOHP's R$D division is... was... situated." Jerry replied. "As you know, WOOHP technology could be extremely dangerous if it ever got into the wrong hands. It was best if the public never knew where these gadgets were being created, even if they somehow discovered WOOHP's existence."  
  
"Makes sense to me." Professor Utonium stated.  
  
"Yeah, some of those villains out there are pretty twisted as it is. With WOOHP technology it would only get worse." Alice added.  
  
"Ah... there it is." Jerry stood up as the infamous desert base hove into view below them. It looked as it had always been described, like a small patch of military bunkers in the middle of the Nevada desert. Jerry walked into the cockpit to take control from the autopilot and bring the jet down toward the ground just outside of the installation.  
  
The four figures emerged from the jet and walked onto the base. There was nobody around to stop them, the lab had apparently been abandoned by now. But these were professional WOOHP agents, the grounds were left undisturbed and in proper order. Just empty. Jerry led them up to one of the bunkers and placed his palm on what looked like a fingerprint machine.  
  
"DNA Scan complete." A computer said. "Welcome WOOHP Director Jerry." The doors opened into a shabby looking elevator. They all moved inside and waited while the elevator plunged into the Earth.  
  
When the doors opened, Professor Utonium, Alice, and Crimson stared in shock. The entire Earth seemed to be filled with machines, laboratories with glass walls, and research equipment powerful enough to make a Trekkie faint. "Welcome to WOOHP Laboratories." Jerry said as they all stepped off the elevator. Alice noticed several familiar gadgets lying around on various tables, along with a few she'd never seen before. She was itching to figure out what they do...  
  
"Do bear in mind most of these gadgets are in their prototype phases, and not safe to experiment with." Jerry stated, staring directly at Alice. Alice blushed and nodded while Crimson chuckled.  
  
"This place is incredible." Professor Utonium marched slowly into the middle of the room, his eyes scanning every piece of equipment like a child unleashed on a pile of Christmas presents. "There's enough equipment here to construct just about anything..."  
  
"If you feel you can make something that might be of use to our cause, don't hesitate to do so." Jerry said. "In the meantime, I should check the monitoring equipment to see the situation in the rest of the world. Come see me if anything happens ladies." He nodded to Alice and Crimson before heading off toward one of the rooms in the back.  
  
"Where to begin..." Professor Utonium mumbled to himself as he walked aimlessly toward the large piles of complicated equipment.  
  
Crimson shook her head. "Men and their toys eh?" She and Alice both chuckled. Despite the almost hopeless situation, things seemed to get a bit brighter. This bunker was the best... and worst if you think about it... secret in the history of the planet. Of course, with WOOHP Headquarters now under His control, he might be able to locate it with WOOHP's database files. But they'd bought themselves some time at least.

* * *

Sam's head lolled to the side as Mandy pulled her through the creaking, wooden door of the large beachside home. "Hang on... I got you..." She pulled the redhead forward, though Sam barely noticed. She'd dropped Mandy's vest long ago, and her limbs were dangling like noodles at her sides. Mandy had carried her halfway down the beach.  
  
"Here... right here." Mandy grunted as she hefted Sam off her back to set her on the couch. Sam stared up at her, barely noticing what she was doing as she unzipped the front of her green jumpsuit. She pulled it carefully over the bullet wound, pushing the top off down to Sam's waist. She got up and ran off, leaving Sam staring at the ceiling warily.  
  
"I don't know how exactly... but I have to get the bullet out." Mandy returned with two arms full of supplies, dropping them on the floor in front of Sam. She picked up a rag and pushed it into Sam's mouth. "I'm sorry Sam... this will hurt like Hell." Mandy apologized as she pushed a pair of thongs into the wound. Sam screamed into the washcloth, her body tensing up.  
  
Mandy's thongs dug into the bullet hole, searching for the bullet as Sam bit into the rag, screaming in pain. Tears of pain poured down her cheeks, but she was careful not to move lest she mess up Mandy's operation. Finally Mandy pulled the blood-covered thongs out of her shoulder, holding the bullet between them. She dropped it and quickly placed a washcloth over her shoulder to stem the blood flow.  
  
"Okay, there we go..." Mandy's ran her hand through Sam's hair as she lay back against the couch, crying and whimpering in pain. "It's almost over... but I have to try to sterilize it." Sam nodded slightly, unable to speak for the rag in her mouth. Mandy picked up another rag and poured some rubbing alcohol onto it. She pulled back the rag from her shoulder and pressed the alcohol covered one against it.  
  
Sam flinched and tensed up, but didn't scream this time. Mandy kept her hand on top of Sam's head, stroking it comfortingly as she dabbed the rag over the bullet hole. Finally she pulled that cloth back and grabbed yet another fresh one, pressing it against her shoulder. This time she grabbed a length of bandages and started wrapping them around Sam's torso.  
  
The bandages wrapped around her body from her shoulder to her waist, running between her breasts as Sam leaned her head back, closing her eyes in exhaustion and pain. Finally the bandages were in place and Mandy sat down beside her, pulling the rag out of her mouth. "Are you okay Sam?" She asked.  
  
Sam looked over at her with a wary glare. "Fantastic... I've always wanted to experience searing pain..." She spat venomously. Mandy smiled and patted her head.  
  
"Good, you're conscious enough to recognize stupid questions." She said. "Come on, you need to get some rest." She wrapped her arms around Sam's waist and pulled her up from the couch. Sam leaned against her, letting Mandy pull her toward one of the bedrooms in the back. Mandy sighed slightly, the danger seemed to be past now, but she didn't know if she did everything right. Sam may never use that arm again, or worse, she could get a serious infection. She hoped it wouldn't come to that... there were no doctors left. So all she could do was hope.

* * *

The ocean ripples swept the raft along in random circles, but its occupant barely noticed. Alex stared at the sky blankly, her skin becoming more taught across her bones with each passing day. She couldn't even hope to move her bony limbs anymore, the only parts of her body she could move were her eyes and her lips.  
  
"Swing low..." A soft, whispery breath uttered into the ocean breeze. "Sweet chariot..." She blinked slowly, staring up at the reddening sky overhead. "Comin' 'for to carry me home..." She didn't care about the strange color though, she could barely think about anything. Her mind seemed to be fading with every moment... but she refused to let go of the faint glimmer of hope that still shone in her heart.  
  
"Swing low... sweet chariot..." She breathed, closing her eyes against the raging sun. "Comin' 'for to carry me home..."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	7. Battle of Area 51

Part 7: Battle of Area 51  
  
Alice poured the teapot into the small mug she'd found in the cold and hard kitchen in the WOOHP science lab. It had been a few days, and Jerry had yet to emerge from what he'd claimed the first day as his new office. Presumably he was searching for any sign of their enemy, or a way to defeat Him and restore order to the world. Wow... even as just a thought that sounded like a nearly impossible feat.  
  
Crimson had spent her time in the shooting range, testing out the various weapons that the military and WOOHP soldiers had left behind. They had enough weapons to supply an entire army, but against their enemy all the guns in the world wouldn't make a bit of difference. Against roving packs of bloodthirsty gangs however, they would do just nicely.  
  
Alice left the kitchen and made her way into the main central chamber, where Professor Utonium had spent the last few days tinkering with just about every piece of equipment in the lab. He looked like he was simply messing around, but during his short five minute breaks he insisted he was actually trying to make something to help them.  
  
Alice walked up to him and held out the mug of coffee. "Thought you could use something." She said. It was almost one in the morning, and he'd barely slept the last few days.  
  
"Oh, thank you." The Professor took the mug from her and took a sip. He was sitting on the floor, staring down at a small metal ball with wires coming out of it. "I just can't figure this stuff out..." He sighed, setting his mug on the table above him. "Maybe if I can get this casing open I can figure out what it's supposed to do..."  
  
"Um... WOOHP makes weapons and stuff, be careful that thing doesn't explode in your face." Alice reminded him.  
  
"It's a ball, why would it explode?" The Professor tapped one finger on the ball's casing. It detonated suddenly, but only sent a puff of black smoke hurtling outward. Alice and Professor Utonium sneezed uncontrollably until finally the smoke filtered out through the air conditioning.  
  
"A pepper bomb?" Alice sneezed. "No wonder this thing never went into full production..." She smirked.  
  
"Ugh... perhaps I should work on something else for a while..." The Professor sneezed and pushed himself up to his feet. Alice stared up at him, once again taking in his rather considerable height. He grabbed his mug and walked toward the other side of the room, with Alice following him. "How far along are you?"  
  
Alice blinked, then looked down at the bulge in her stomach. "Three months." She brought up her hands to stroke the child nestled within her. "I was supposed to marry the father... God, two weeks ago today... it feels like much longer."  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that." The Professor told her genuinely.  
  
"How about you? Have a wife? Children?"  
  
"No, never been married." The Professor waved off that prospect with one hand. He then sighed and shook his head. "But I have three daughters..." He trailed off, and Alice didn't want to press the issue. Professor Utonium stopped at another desk with equipment on it, staring down at it.  
  
"Are you okay Professor?" Alice walked up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, leaning around him to look at his face. He looked over at her with a sad smile.  
  
"I'll be fine... I just wish I knew where they were." He sighed and shook his head again, his shoulders slumping slightly under her touch. She wished she could tell him they would find his daughters... but that seemed about as likely as finding her fiancé. She might never see him again... but she refused to let that get to her. There were more important things than mourning right now... but that didn't stop it from hurting.

* * *

Alex blinked in surprise, staring out over a pleasant glade of lush green grass and white flowers. Where was she? The last thing she remembered she was still lying on the raft in the middle of the ocean. "Hey, over here!" Alex's breath caught in her throat when she heard a blissfully familiar voice behind her. She turned slowly, to see Clover standing behind her with her old confident smirk and her red WOOHP jumpsuit.  
  
"Clover!" Alex shouted happily, charging toward her and tackling her to the ground with a tight bearhug. "Thank God! I was starting to think I would be alone out there forever!" She then stopped and blinked. "But... how did I get here?"  
  
"How do you think?" Clover asked from the grass.  
  
"I don't know... did He finally let me die? Does that mean you're dead too?" Alex frowned. She didn't want Clover to be dead.  
  
"No, and no." Clover replied.  
  
"Hmm... then... did my mind finally snap like a brittle twig, plunging me into an insanity powered delusion?" Alex asked.  
  
"Maaaybe..." Clover replied.  
  
"Yay!" Alex exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Clover again. "That means I don't have to sit and listen to those stupid waves anymore!" She laughed happily, squeezing Clover tightly. "I don't care if you're a figment of my imagination, I've really missed you Clover!"  
  
"Hey, I know, I've missed you too." Clover hugged her back, letting Alex rest her cheek on her shoulder. "But I'm here now and you don't have to worry about being alone anymore."  
  
"Yeah... that's right. I'm not alone anymore!" Alex grinned happily, holding onto her best friend in the world. "I'm not alone with you here." She snuggled up against her, eager to feel the warmth of human contact again. "Please don't go anywhere Clover."  
  
"Not a chance." Clover replied, stroking her back comfortingly. "I'm staying right here with you, no matter what happens." Alex smiled, burying her face in Clover's shoulder. "Don't worry Alex, you'll never be alone again..." Clover's hands massaged her back slowly. Alex smiled, her touch was the most wonderful thing she'd ever felt in her life.  
  
Unlike the collision that jarred her out of her dream state. Her eyes jerked open and she tried to look around, but all she could see was the walls of the raft and the open sky ahead. Finally she turned her gaze upward and saw a wooden pole connected to a wooden walkway... she'd collided with a pier. But the raft was already starting to float away again.  
  
Alex's joints popped and creaked in protest as she moved to the edge of the boat, grabbing hold of the pole. It took a monumental effort just to keep the raft from floating away, but she gritted her teeth and pulled herself in, wrapping both arms around it. Carefully she pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the pain and pops from every join in her legs, and the screaming of her muscles.  
  
She reached up and grabbed the side of the dock. All she had to do was pull herself up, and her water voyage would be over. But she knew she didn't have the strength for even that. "Clover!" Alex would have yelled if her voice worked properly, but instead it came out as a slight whisper. "Clover help me..." She begged.  
  
Her eyes lit up when she saw Clover approach on the dock, grinning down at her confidently. "Don't worry about this Alex, I'll help you get up." Clover knelt down and put her hands on Alex's biceps. Alex pulled as hard as she could to help. Her arms screamed in protest and her joints felt like they would fall apart at any moment, but still she pulled with all her might.  
  
Finally she rolled onto the wooden dock, letting the inflatable raft below drift back out into the open ocean. She was finally free... she tried to push herself up, but her shivering limbs wouldn't cooperate. Finally Clover put her hands on Alex's shoulders, and she climbed to her bone-thin legs. They shook and threatened to collapse with every step, but Alex made her way up the dock to the grassy land itself.  
  
"You're doing great Alex... we'll get you your strength back, and then we'll go find Sammy, and be friends like we've always been." Clover told her. Alex smiled as she reached the end of the dock, looking around. She could see a heavy-duty truck parked nearby, packed with supplies... including food and water.  
  
Well beyond a growling stomach, Alex was drawn to the rations like a gnat to a bug zapper. She stumbled up to the truck and leaned against the back, reaching over to grab one of the water bottles. She fumbled with the crap, trying to twist it off until finally Clover put her hand on top of hers, helping steady her hand while she twisted. She threw her head back and poured the bottle into her mouth, letting the soothing cool liquid flow down her throat.  
  
She gagged and coughed, throwing up half the water she'd just drunk. "Careful Alex. Slowly..." Clover moved up behind her, wrapping her arms around her to put her hands on Alex's. Alex brought her hand back up, sipping more slowly at the water. "That's it... not too much now." Alex lowered the water, leaning against the side of the truck.  
  
"Hey!" A voice with a thick Irish accent shouted suddenly. "What d'ya think yer doin' over there?" Alex looked over to see a moderately sized woman with a fairly pretty, if angry, face marching toward her. "Get away from my food ye vulture! I found it all meself!" Alex opened her mouth to speak, her eyes drooping.  
  
"I'm... sorry..." Alex whispered before collapsing to the grass, plunging into darkness.

* * *

"I guess I knew I would be a scientist when I saw three little mutants staring down at me as a kid..." The Professor grumbled as his fingers fumbled with another one of the myriad of gadgets scattered around the base. Alice was sitting in a chair beside him, resting her head on her hands and listening with mild interest. "Which turned out to be my girls... but that's a different story."  
  
"Sounds like your life's been almost as exciting as mine." Alice said, genuinely meaning it. "Worst thing that ever happened to me was being captured by Edison... I lost a huge chunk of my life to that lunatic." She scowled at the memory. "I only woke up when Sam, Alex, and Clover managed to get those mind-control things off of us... everything before that is still a blur. As if I really WANT to remember."  
  
"We have to remember our experiences, even the negative ones. Otherwise, we would never become what we are."  
  
"I suppose." Alice sighed. "I just wish the bad parts weren't necessary, you know? Like all this. The world is in chaos, and my fianc's probably..." She stopped suddenly, not wanting to make it true by saying.  
  
"Until we know for sure, why assume anything? We're alive, and so are thousands of others. He could be too." The Professor told her. His tone was one of a simple fact being stated instead of a friend comforting a friend. Still, she knew he was right. It was foolish to work herself up by jumping to conclusions. Almost as foolish as hoping that he was still alive.  
  
Suddenly the lights in the room started blinking red. A silent alarm... something was happening aboveground. "Come on, something's going on!" Alice and the Professor ran for the elevator, meeting Jerry there. "Jerry? You didn't pull the alarm?"  
  
"No, it wasn't me." Jerry replied. Crimson pulled it? This had to be bad if she was calling for help, she normally tried to handle things on her own.  
  
They reached the top of the elevator and emerged into the desert sun that shone down on the top-secret lab. Crimson was standing in front of the main gates into the complex, holding a very powerful assault rifle in her hands. "Crimson, what's going on?"  
  
"We have company." Crimson replied, not looking back. The others walked up beside her. Alice gasped when she saw a fairly large group heading in their direction down the side of one of the mountains beside the base. Most of them were wearing aluminum foil hats and bearing some rather heavy firepower for a bunch of UFO hunting psychos.  
  
"A bunch of whack-jobs are coming to find the aliens." Crimson smirked and gave Jerry a sidelong glance. "Great cover Jerry, your fake alien cover-up is attracting people instead of repelling them."  
  
"It worked fine when there were people to guard the base." Jerry replied defensively.  
  
"So now it's three against an entire band." Crimson stated.  
  
"Hey, what about the Professor?" Alice asked. Crimson looked back at the tall, but somewhat lanky professor and scoffed.  
  
"Like I said, three against an entire band." She looked back at the group, gripping her rifle in both hands. "We'll just have to mow them all down."  
  
"If I may make a suggestion, as the senior officer here." Jerry interjected. Crimson looked back at him with an apologetic gaze. "We don't know how violent they will be, but even if they want a fight, there are easier ways to fight back than with guns blazing."  
  
"So what DO we do?" Alice asked.  
  
"For now, prepare." Jerry replied simply.

* * *

Sam groaned and opened her eyes slowly. She could feel her body immersed in water up to her chest. The bandaged wound on her shoulder was just above the bathwater, as small waves splashed up against her body. Something plunged into the water beside her, before she felt something scrubbing her arm furiously. Sam looked over to see Mandy holding a rag in one hand, trying to wash the old dried blood off of her. Mandy was already clean and still had wet hair, wearing a purple bathrobe.  
  
"You saved me again..." Sam said softly. Mandy looked up at her face, then smiled slightly and turned back to her scrubbing.  
  
"Yeah well, you saved me too. So I guess you only owe me for one of them." Mandy replied.  
  
"Hey, my life was put in danger saving yours. That's worth two normal savings." Sam complained.  
  
"If I hadn't had to save your life after you saved mine it would be, but you used one of your two savings with me saving you, so you still owe me one." Mandy pointed out.  
  
Sam paused for a moment, then snapped the fingers of her good hand. "Damnit." Mandy chuckled and plunged the rag under the water, washing the dried blood off of it before pushing Sam up slightly to a sitting position. Her wound still ached somewhat, but it wasn't the sharp unbearable pain it had been before.  
  
"Hey, be lucky I don't collect more favors from giving you a sponge bath. This one's a freebie." Mandy reminded her.  
  
"Alright fine." Sam couldn't help but chuckle as Mandy ran the rag across her back, wiping the blood and accumulated grime off of her. When she finished with her back Mandy pushed her carefully down against the side of the tub again. "Stingy little w-" suddenly Mandy's hand slapped against her wound, sending a sharp wave of pain coursing through her body. "Gggkgkg..."  
  
"Oops, sorry." Mandy grinned and patted Sam's wet hair. Sam glared at her, but didn't say anything else. Mandy took out a pair of scissors and cut off the bandages covering her wound. The rag inside was covered in blood, but no more came out when she pulled it off. Mandy heaved a sigh of relief. "I guess we got lucky."  
  
"Lucky?" Sam asked. "You didn't actually know what you were doing?"  
  
"Well I'm not a doctor... I just knew I had to get the bullet out, not how to do it. But don't worry, it looks like it worked." Mandy smiled. Sam stared at her in shock. Her life had been in the hands of an amateur. Even more shocking, she'd actually survived.  
  
Sam decided not to say anything while Mandy placed a fresh, clean rag against the wound and wrapped a new set of bandages around it. "Come on." Mandy grabbed Sam's sides and helped her step out of the tub. She still felt a little wobbly from blood-loss, so Mandy wrapped a blue bathrobe around her. She slid one arm into the sleeve, but kept her wounded arm curled up against her body while Mandy tied it off in the front.  
  
"Go wait in the living room while I fix us something to eat." Mandy told her, heading for the kitchen. Sam hobbled into the living room, looking around. Now that she wasn't inches from death, she could see that this was a pretty homey place. She'd expected something extravagant and over-the-top, but this wooden shed on the beach with the ocean waves... it almost felt like a dream.  
  
She walked up to the window and looked out at the ocean beyond. She blinked when she saw a strange stake with words written on it sticking up out of the sand. Squinting, she could barely make out the name 'Arnold Andrews' written on it. Mandy had marched all the way back into the city to retrieve Arnold and give him a proper burial? That didn't seem like her at all... but then, she was discovering a lot of things about Mandy that she'd never known before.  
  
"Lunch time." Mandy walked back into the living room carrying two steaming bowls of Spaghetti-O's. "It's not much of a meal, but at least this place has a working microwave." She set the bowls on the coffee table and plopped down on one of the comfy couches. Sam smiled slightly and moved to join her. This wasn't so bad, there were certainly worse lives one could have.

* * *

Alice lay on top of one of the buildings toward the back of the small bunker, with a sniper rifle sitting in front of her on a stand. She looked through the scope, watching the small band of aluminum bandits marching up the path toward the base. Crimson was on top of the building beside hers, with another sniper rifle while Jerry waiting out in the open, in the middle of the base.  
  
The band stopped at the front gate when they saw Jerry. Most of them raised their weapons, but nobody fired. One large figure who seemed to be the leader walked forward confidently. Alice reached up and twisted a knob on the device on her ear, so she could listen to their conversation.  
  
"Where are they? We know they're here!" The man demanded instantly.  
  
"What ever are you talking about?" Jerry asked.  
  
"The aliens you people kidnapped!" The burly man snapped. "As if you don't know! These aliens are wiping out our planet looking for the beings YOU'RE holding here! Give them to us so we can get them back to where they belong." Geeze, Alice though, this guy was even more cracked than the stupid foil hat made him look.  
  
"I assure you, there are no aliens here." Jerry remained as calm as ever, despite the crazed look in his eye that Alice could even see through the sniper scope.  
  
"Then you wouldn't mind if I took a look around, old man." The burly man huffed himself up to full size.  
  
"That's not a good idea. I suggest you leave, there are very important operations taking place here." Jerry replied calmly.  
  
"I knew you'd say no." One large fist reached forward to grip the front of Jerry's collar. Alice's finger twitched on the trigger, aimed straight for one of the bully's large brown eyes, but she still waited for Jerry's signal. Crimson, however, did not.  
  
One single bullet flew across the base, plunging into the man's forehead and sending him to his back on the ground. There was a moment of stunned silence before a cry of anger erupted from the crowd at the gate. They all raised their weapons and took aim at Jerry.  
  
Jerry stood his ground as gunfire erupted from the crowd. Sparks flashed in front of him as the bullets struck a suddenly formed blue shield. Alice and Crimson waited, with Alice shooting Crimson a dark look. Her partner looked back over at her with a shrug before resuming her position. Suddenly a hideous screech rose from the ground that make screeching nails seem like a blessing.  
  
Even as they clutched at their ears, black gas began rising from the ground around them. The sneezing screaming mob dissipated pretty quickly, with most of them retreating away from the base. Several however rushed for Jerry, howling their righteous rage at being denied the right to return the aliens to their people.  
  
Alice and Crimson picked off those who dared approach Jerry, who still stood calm in the middle of the battlefield. Suddenly, the battle was over. Most of the mob had retreated, and those who tried to attack lay dead on the ground. Alice sighed and stood to head down to ground level, meeting Jerry on the battlefield. Professor Utonium emerged from the elevator as well, walking up to them.  
  
"Good job Professor, Alice." Jerry told them before turning to stare at Crimson. "Contain your excitement next time." He recommended. Crimson growled, but took the criticism with some amount of restraint since she had definitely jumped the gun. Jerry had been in no danger from the guy; he could have taken him out with a hand gesture.  
  
"Thanks Jerry." Alice smiled.  
  
"This whole thing has given me an idea..." The Professor said. The other three all turned toward him. "There are more ways to fight than through force. That may prove to be our key advantage against the... against His minions."  
  
Crimson smirked. "Does that mean we finally get to go on the offensive soon?"  
  
"Possibly. Even with effective weapons, they won't do us much good if we don't get a chance to use them. As Sam, Alex, and Clover discovered at the beginning of all this." The Professor replied.  
  
"So we'll have to pick our time and battlefield very carefully." Jerry added. Crimson and Alice nodded, both ready to finally fight back after being run through the ringer for the last two weeks.

* * *

Memories flooded through Blossom's mind as she watched her friends, teachers, and leaders mingling in the streets. She could remember playing out front with the other children, sitting in class and watching Miss Keane write math equations on the blackboard, responding to the Mayor's calls to stop some criminals or perform stupid chores for him.  
  
The more she looked back, the more she wondered why she put up with it all. These people were sickening manipulative little wretches. She wouldn't have been there if she didn't think they could hide her from Him. Even now she could hear them whispering to each other about how she would protect them. How they were saved because she was there.  
  
She shook her head and floated through the small village that had been constructed in the middle of the road. Every building in the city had been completely demolished... except for Pokey Oaks Elementary. She couldn't imagine why, her sisters should have gone for it first.  
  
"Blossom! There you are!" Blossom looked to the side to see her best friend, Robin Schnieder, charging toward her. Robin slammed into her, knocking her to the ground and hugging her like an excited puppy. "I'm so glad you're back! I was so scared those evil shadow-things got you!" She exclaimed. The Townsville citizens had no idea Buttercup and Bubbles were among those shadows... and Blossom wasn't about to spill. They might grow suspicious of her if she did.  
  
"I'm fine Robin." Blossom pushed the girl off of her easily and floated to her feet. This reaction was kind of startling. Everyone else had been more relieved for themselves than her.  
  
"Where have you been? What happened? Are you okay!?" A string of questions tumbled from Robin's mouth until Blossom slapped one hand over it.  
  
"Somewhere, something, and yes." She smirked. Robin blinked, staring at her until she moved her hand.  
  
"You're different..." She muttered worriedly. Blossom quirked one eyebrow at this. Nobody else had even begun to notice her transformation from a Powerpuff Girl to a Whoopass Girl.  
  
"Forget about it. I'm just tired." Blossom turned to float away from her, leaving Robin behind. She had to start looking for a way to fight Him alone. Then she could leave these parasites behind and free her sisters.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	8. A Hero's Heart

Part 8: A Hero's Heart  
  
"What is all this supposed to do again?" Alice asked curiously as she picked up a strange looking weapon from the desk in front of her. After toiling for several days, Professor Utonium was starting to see some progress in his weapons development. He looked up from his next weapon with a knowing gaze, staring up at her.  
  
"The Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys are superhuman in all respects, including their senses. Their eyesight and hearing are both far more acute than any of us... to a fault really." The Professor told her. "We can not overpower their strength, but with enough simultaneous sensory input, we may overwhelm their senses."  
  
"So we blast boom boxes and shine flashlights in their eyes?" Alice asked skeptically. "Even if that stunned them, wouldn't they just recover in time?"  
  
"It might hold them long enough for us to trap them with the energy Cells we used on Blossom at WOOHP headquarters."  
  
"But how do you know it'll work?" Alice asked.  
  
"When the Rowdyruff Boys first took my girls, Jerry drove them off with an intense beam of light. It seemed to burn Brick's retinas to a fine point, actually causing pain to him. If we can use more intense light and sound, we might disable them all. After that, we can figure out how to revert them to their original forms, and my girls will take care of Him."  
  
"This all seems too iffy. We don't know where they are at any given time, we don't even know where or IF they sleep." Alice's shoulders slumped. "Even with these weapons, it seems like the chances of beating them are next to nil."  
  
"I won't lie, they are." The Professor replied softly. "The other three girls were armed with Antidote-X weaponry, and still lost." He shook his head, staring down at the equipment in front of him. "But I'm not going to give up. If there's a chance to bring my girls back... make them good again... I'll keep striving to make it happen."  
  
Alice nodded in appreciation and sat down in a nearby chair, holding her bulging stomach in both hands. He looked over at her with a worried gaze. "Is there anything I can do for you?"  
  
"Oh, no, don't mind me. Just need to rest my feet." Alice panted slightly, smiling. She'd been getting more tired lately, and the morning sickness was starting to rear its ugly head. She hadn't slept well the last few nights. She hoped they could end this soon, she wouldn't be much good to them for much longer.  
  
The Professor looked down at his weapon, then put it down and stood up. He walked up to her and picked her up in his arms. She blinked in surprise, but didn't fight as he carried her toward the door to the barracks. "You're stronger than you look..." Alice said appreciatively.  
  
"Thank you. I try to keep myself in shape." The Professor carried her into one of the barracks, setting her on one of the bottom bunks. She stared up at him appreciatively.  
  
"It's a shame you never found a wife..." She said softly. "You really deserve one."  
  
"I get by with what I do have." The Professor smiled back and stood up to his full height, turning to leave. Alice watched him go, resting her hands behind her head. He was a good guy... if she didn't have a fiancé she would have considered going for him. With a sigh she rolled over in bed, staring at the wall. As if her fiancé could possibly be alive after all this time...

* * *

The longer Blossom stayed here, the more these people sickened her. Cowards, all of them. Wallowing in their own stinking filth waiting for their dreaded 'shadows' to return and wreak havoc on them all. And worst of all, waiting with bated breath for Blossom to save them and free them from the fear they now lived under. Not a day passed that she didn't have someone approach her, thanking her for returning like she was sent specifically to save their pathetic lives.  
  
Blossom floated out of the small settlement in the middle of the street, floating to the top of the hill between the city and the open plains beyond. The landscape was littered with graves and bodies. There were far more dead out there than alive in the small mid-road settlement. She could see a few figures toiling in the distance to properly bury the dead.  
  
She heard a pair of footsteps approaching behind her. She didn't even have to look. Robin had been following her around relentlessly for the last few days, trying to get her to talk or something. She couldn't even begin to look for a way of taking Him out with Robin stalking her.  
  
"Blossom..." Robin walked up beside her, stopping when she saw the sea of bodies laid out in front of them. "C... can we go back? I'm not supposed to be out here..." She muttered softly.  
  
"You don't need me to go with you to go home." Blossom retorted venomously.  
  
"Blossom, please." Robin put one hand on her shoulder, moving to stare into her eyes. "I'm your friend, talk to me. Where are Bubbles and Buttercup?"  
  
"Why do you care about them? Isn't one hero enough to save you?" Blossom scowled, whirling on her. "Or do you need three to make sure your collective asses stay safe?"  
  
Robin stepped back away from her, her eyes going wide with fear. "No... I'm worried about them... and... and you..." She whispered fearfully. Blossom narrowed her eyes, marching up to her.  
  
"You little lying leech." Blossom growled. "You're just like the rest of them, admit it!" She grabbed her arm, squeezing it tightly. Robin grunted in pain as Blossom's grip threatened to tear right through her forearm.  
  
"No... Blossom... I've always cared about you and your sisters..." Robin groaned, tears of pain sliding down her cheeks. "Don't you remember? All that time we spent together... all the fun we had?" Blossom glared at her. She remembered it fine... but she'd been blind then. Everyone was a friendly face, a kind smile. Masking the manipulation she'd lived with from the day she was created.  
  
"I'm getting tired of this." Blossom pushed her back roughly. Her strength easily sent the little girl hurtling to the ground with a solid thud, kicking up a cloud of dust. "When those shadows come, I hope they finish you all off."  
  
"Y... you don't mean that..." Robin's voice shook as she stared up at her former hero. Those eyes begged Blossom to end the joke, but the Whoopass Girl simply smirked and shook her head.  
  
"Why won't you get it through that thick skull of yours?" Blossom smirked. "Get away from me kid. Go hide behind someone like all the rest of these miserable wastes of oxygen." She whirled and floated away from Robin, folding her arms across her chest.  
  
"Blossom... just tell me. What did they do to you?" Robin pleaded one last time, climbing to her feet behind the Whoopass Girl. Blossom stopped moving, but didn't look back at her.  
  
"They opened my mind." Blossom replied simply.  
  
"No... Blossom... they didn't. They closed your heart." Robin told her friend in a hushed voice. Blossom turned to head to the side, giving Robin a sidelong glance. They both stood in silence for several long minutes before Blossom continued her trek back toward the small mid-road settlement. She didn't need to listen to any more of these lies. Her siblings would arrive any day now, and when they finally did, she would watch the remains of this wretched city burn. But... why didn't she just destroy it herself?

* * *

Alex's eyes opened slowly. The dreamy haze that had dominated her senses seemed to have been lifted somewhat, giving her the ability to think again. When she lifted her arm it was still shaking, and looked bony well beyond anorexia, but at least she wasn't trapped out on that boat anymore. In fact, it was even better. She was lying in a soft bed in what looked like a log cabin of some sort.  
  
Clover stood over her bed, smiling down at her with her hand lying on top of Alex's. "Good morning."  
  
"Clover..." Alex muttered in a voice only slightly above a whisper. "Are you the real one... or the fake one?"  
  
"I'm as real as you need me to be girl." Clover grinned wickedly, obviously enjoying torturing Alex's starved mind. Alex sighed and closed her eyes again, wishing she knew what was going on, or even where she was. Was Clover really here, or was she still alone?  
  
Whether Clover was there or not, it seemed she wasn't alone anyway. "You're awake, that's a good sign." The woman with the thick Irish accent approached the side of the bed, smiling down at her. Now that she was no longer engulfed in her dream haze, Alex could begin to really study her features.  
  
She had fiery red hair that was held up on top of her head in a bun, with shining green eyes and a full figured body. Her body was well chiseled with muscle, her hands looked strong and capable. Her strength seemed to be amplified by a strong jaw line ending in a slightly protruding chin that, combined with the inner conviction that shone in her eyes, made her the strongest woman Alex had ever seen.  
  
"Wh... where am I?" Alex croaked softly.  
  
"Don't speak yet lassie, ye need ta regain yer strength." The woman picked up a bottle from the nightstand beside the bed, tilting a small stream of water into her mouth. "There ye go. This is me cottage on the west coast." The woman told her gently.  
  
"So... I'm in... California?" Alex asked wondrously. Had she floated halfway across the world?  
  
The woman above her laughed jovially, shaking her head. "No lassie, this is Ireland, not America." Oh... that would explain the accent, Alex thought sheepishly to herself. "Ye need some food in ye, I'll get ye somethin'." The woman stood up to walk over to a small icebox on one side of the room. Alex looked up at Clover, who was still watching her from the bedside. Her rescuer hadn't even noticed her.  
  
"You're not the real Clover..." Alex muttered disappointedly.  
  
"That's no way to think." Clover replied. "I am Clover, no matter what anyone or anything else says." Alex nodded. It would certainly be less lonely to have her best friend by her side through all of this.  
  
"Here ye go." The woman returned with a bowl of soup, setting it on the nightstand beside her. "I thought this would be the easiest thing fer ye ta eat." She said.  
  
"Thank you." Alex reached out with one trembling hand and grabbed the spoon, pouring a bit of it down her throat. It tasted terrible, but after having something edible enter it, her stomach wasn't about to let her stop eating. So she continued shoveling it into her mouth.  
  
"My, ye have quite an appetite for a wee lass." The woman smiled.  
  
"It's been forever since I've eaten anything..." Alex explained between gulps. "I'm sorry... my name's Alex."  
  
"Helen." The woman smiled down at her. "Eat up, and ye'll be fine soon enough."  
  
Alex stopped eating and pushed herself to a sitting position with much difficulty. "I can't stay here long... my friends are probably waiting for me in America... I have to get back to them. It's important..."  
  
"Ye won't be goin' anywhere in the state yer in." Helen smirked, pushing Alex easily back onto the bed with one arm without even having to flex those huge muscles. "Rest a few days, then ye can go wherever ye wish. I'm not about ta let a wee lass travel in these dangerous times in yer condition." Alex sighed and resumed eating. "If ye need me, I'll be right over there." Helen pointed to a comfortable looking chair on the other side of the room in front of a fireplace.  
  
As she walked away Alex glanced up at Clover, who was smiling back down at her. "She's right, you rest up for a few days. You won't help anyone if you die on the way back." Clover told her. Alex sighed, knowing her imaginary friend was right. A few more days, and she could go find her friends again...

* * *

Blossom floated into the tent that had been designated as the city mess-hall, where survivors came to eat their fill and talk quietly among themselves. The voices all died down as Blossom entered. They tried not to stare at her, but she knew their attention had shifted to her. She was used to it. It happened every time she came in here... or went anywhere, for that matter.  
  
She floated up to the front of the mess hall and looked up at the cook. "Give me whatever you got."  
  
"Here you go Blossom." The cook dumped a large portion on her plate before handing it over to her. Blossom smirked and took it, turning to float toward one of the lightweight plastic park tables that served as dinner tables. She sat down in the folding lawn chair and started eating until a familiar, annoying, nasally voice came up behind her.  
  
"Blossom, Blossom, Blossom." Blossom growled and looked back at Princess Morebucks, the redheaded pig-snouted brat of Pokey Oaks. The last few weeks hadn't done much for her looks or demeanor. Her normally perfectly curled hair hung about her head in craggy sections, and her face was as smudge-covered as everyone else's. In a way, it was nice to see that all of her money hadn't saved her from the end of the world.  
  
"What do you want? Want to pat me on the back for coming to save your fat ass?" Blossom grunted and rolled her eyes.  
  
Princess laughed and shook her head, taking the seat beside her. "Hardly, just come to see the fallen hero of the world." She smirked. Blossom looked over at her curiously. "I knew you girls would fail one day without me, and look what happened. You should have let me be a Powerpuff Girl when you had the chance. Now you've blown it and screwed us all."  
  
Blossom howled lurched up from her seat. Her hand locked around Princesses flabby throat, lifting her from her seat. The entire tent went quiet, as everyone turned to stare at her in shock. Even Princess' eyes went wide with stunned fear. "You shut up you fat little fuck." Blossom growled loudly, her grip tightening.  
  
Princess gasped for breath, clutching at Blossom's arm desperately. The rest of the Townsville citizens in the tent watched in horror, muttering among themselves. Several shook their heads, talking amongst themselves. They were turning on her... it was no surprise. If she wouldn't protect them, they had no need of her.  
  
Blossom howled in a rage and hurled Princess across the table. She slammed into the chair on the far side, tilting it back and slamming into the floor. Several people from the table beside their rushed to her aid, but the rest simply stared at Blossom with those wide, stunned eyes.  
  
"You all keep your mouths shut!" Blossom screamed at them, her clenched fists turning white. "If even one of you tells Him or his lackeys where I am, you'll go down before I do I swear it! Have you all got me!?" Everyone else in the tent nodded slowly, still in shock. Blossom turned and floated out of the tent calmly, leaving them to take care of Princess. She didn't care anymore, screw them all. She was getting tired of listening to their crap. They would listen to her just as well through fear as they would through kindness.  
  
Looking to the side, she saw Robin standing just outside the tent, watching Blossom with a mask of shock. Finally, she understood what Blossom had been saying. She was through catering to them and their petty insignificant wants. Robin finally understood... it was about time.

* * *

Sam and Mandy paced leisurely down the beach, looking out across the ocean beside them as the sun retreated behind the liquid horizon. The crimson sunset was amplified by the deepening red of the sky overhead, bathing the ocean in a blood-red hue. They were both wearing dresses that Mandy had left here during the last summer vacation. So far the supplies they'd brought with them in the van had kept them alive, but soon they would have to start braving trips into the city in search of food.  
  
"So many things I'll probably never get to do..." Sam commented, swinging her good arm with every stride she took. Her wounded arm was still held close to her body. "Senior Prom..."  
  
"Yeah..." Mandy agreed softly.  
  
"Being a mother..."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Being with a loved one on the beach..." Sam sighed, waiting for Mandy's agreement. When it didn't come she quirked one eyebrow and shot Mandy a curious glance.  
  
"What? I've been coming here every summer since before I can remember, do you think I wasted all that time?" Mandy replied.  
  
"Wow. Who was it? What happened?" Sam asked curiously.  
  
"Well..." Mandy blushed, looking down at the sand. "I was twelve... he was thirteen..." A smile spread across her face. "We'd been talking over the last few summers, and on the phone during the rest of the year. This time we decided to get together... seriously, get together." Sam smiled, urging her to continue with a hand gesture.  
  
"We came out to the beach after midnight. After all, what could be more romantic than being out on a beach under the stars and moon with your significant other?" She sighed and shook her head, lost in her memories. "But we chickened out after a bit of caressing... so we spent the rest of the night staring up at the stars in each others' arms..."  
  
"That's so romantic." Sam sighed wistfully.  
  
"Yeah... if only my mom thought so." Mandy smirked. "We fell asleep, and she found us the next morning. She rushed me inside, frantically asking me questions. What we did... what we didn't do..."  
  
"They took him away..." Sam said softly.  
  
"Bingo." Mandy sighed. "I never saw him or heard of him again after that. Whenever I asked my mom about him, she just said 'he'll be taken care of Mandy. Just try to forget what he did to you.' They even put me in therapy..."  
  
Sam stared at her blankly. Therapy? She'd always thought Mandy needed mental help in school, but she didn't think she was actually getting it. Sam blinked as something clicked. "So... that's why you were so pissed off... why you wanted to be better than everyone, to control everything. Because you lost control with him."  
  
"I guess... I never really thought about it." Mandy shrugged. "After this all started happening though, the world went to shit... it was weird. It felt like the fear lifted... I could finally take control of my life in a chaotic world. Nobody else was going to control it, nobody else was going to tell me what I should feel about what happens, so I finally could." She chuckled slightly. "I really am crazy... being happier in this Hell than I was back home with all my money and popularity."  
  
"No... you're not crazy." Sam smiled slightly and nodded. "To be honest, the last few days here with you have felt... liberating." Mandy looked over at her curiously. "Living how we want, doing nothing, lounging. You're right... we control ourselves. No worries, no responsibilities." Sam looked over at her with a tender smile. "If this is Hell, then I'm fine with it."  
  
Mandy smiled back and slid over to walk closer to her. Sam lifted her good arm and slid it around Mandy's shoulders, squeezing them comfortingly. Mandy lay her head on Sam's shoulder, closing her eyes. This world was just fine. As long as this peace continued, they could stay here forever.

* * *

Blossom sat in the small tent they'd given her upon her arrival in Townsville. She could hear the people outside buzzing about the incident in the mess hall. They were freaked out. Their hero had gone psycho. She even heard a few wishing they could kick her out of the small settlement. As she'd thought, the instant she showed any inclination not to protect them, they would turn on her.  
  
She looked up from the book she'd salvaged from the Townsville library to see Robin enter, closing the flap behind her. "Will you quit stalking me? Haven't you figured it out yet? I don't care about any of you." Blossom growled. She was getting sick of being followed around by this girl. She just refused to take the hint.  
  
"But I care about you." Robin replied softly. She moved into the center of the tent, watching Blossom nervously. "And I want you to stop being so mean..."  
  
Blossom laughed wickedly, pushing herself up from the bed and stalking up to Robin confidently. Robin shook slightly, but didn't back away. "What, are you going to stop me?"  
  
"No... just ask..." Robin muttered softly.  
  
"Get out of here you spineless little nuisance. Go tell them where I am if you want, I don't care." Blossom smirked. "As long as I don't have to look at you pathetic little wretches anymore, I'll be happy."  
  
"I'm your friend Blossom." Robin replied softly. "Even if you're not mine anymore..." She stopped and whirled when they heard the sound of a whistle outside. Another followed suit, until an entire symphony lit up the evening sky. Robin's face went pale, staring at the flap in the front of the tent.  
  
"What's with that racket?" Blossom grumbled. The noise was giving her a headache.  
  
"It's the shadows... they're back..." Robin looked at Blossom fearfully. Blossom just stared at her, crossing her arms over her chest. Robin gulped and turned back to the exit. "Stay here Blossom... I won't let them get to you, I promise." Robin marched to the door and pushed it open, walking outside. Blossom used her X-Ray vision to look through the cloth and keep track of events.  
  
One black shadow landed in the middle of the gathering of Townsville survivors. It was impossible to tell which girl or boy it was. They seemed to have long since become nothing more than black shadows with glowing pools of crimson for eyes. The voice that echoed from the figure was a dark hiss that didn't seem to hold any trace of Blossom's sisters or nemesis'.  
  
"We're back to ask again." The shadow hissed. "Where is Powerpuff Girl Blossom? Has she returned?" The figure looked around as the citizens began to shake their heads. A few of them hesitated however, drawing the shadow's attention over to them. "Have you seen her?"  
  
"N... no..." The man stuttered fearfully. One swift blow from the shadow was all it took to snap his neck back at an unnatural angle, sending him sprawling to the ground in a twisted heap.  
  
"I know she's here. I can see your fear... and I can smell her Chemical-X stink." The shadow, floated through the crowd, its crimson pools studying each and every citizen. They backed away from the shadow as it floated through them, until it suddenly stopped, its eyes settling on Robin. The crowd parted, forming a circle around the little. "The stink is strongest on you."  
  
"I... I'm not saying anything!" Robin shouted, though her arms were shaking with fear. Blossom frowned. She would spill... she would give away Blossom and save herself.  
  
The shadow floating up to Robin, gripping the front of her overalls and pulling her close. Robin shivered in fear, trying to look away from the large pools that were the creature's eyes. "Tell me where she is." The hiss demanded. Blossom tensed herself to get ready to bolt. Maybe she could outrun them before they realized just where she was. Robin was visibly sweating, but she closed her eyes and shook her head.  
  
"I... I... won't... I won't tell!" Robin squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her teeth in anticipation of the impending death she knew would come.  
  
"Useless little brat." The shadow's fist rose behind it, aiming straight for the middle of Robin's head. Suddenly a pink burst of light streaked through the crowd, slamming into the shadow and sending it hurtling into one of the rubble heaps that lined the street. Four more shadows instantly streaked to that spot, circling Blossom high in the air until their fifth member joined them.  
  
"B... Blossom..." Robin muttered shakily, staring up at her. Blossom didn't know what she was doing. She WAS a brat, a useless little brat... but something wouldn't let her watch Robin die.  
  
"You've been looking for me? Well you finally found me!" Blossom shouted up at them. "Now earn the right to take me back to Him!" Blossom's power built in her small body until she flung herself upward. The ground she'd been standing on burst outward in a small crater as the pink flash lit up the sky. The shadows streaked down toward her, each one lifting its fist.  
  
Blossom slammed into one of the shadows with a feral scream, sending it hurtling back as the other four converged on her. She whirled and smacked one across the face, but the other three pounded into her vigorously until she managed to grab one fist and fling it into the other two shadows. By then, the two she'd taken out earlier came back and slammed into her, sending her hurtling toward the debris of Townvsille.  
  
She slammed into what had once been City Hall, sending huge chunks of debris flying into the air. No sooner had she climbed to her feet than all five shadows slammed into her, plunging her deep into the rubble like a hammer coming down on a loose nail. She burst back up through another spot in the rubble, slamming her fist into one of the shadows. It hurtled into another debris pile as Blossom started hurling pieces of debris at the other four shadows.  
  
The shadows broke through the debris easily and slammed into Blossom as one, sending her sailing into the paved street. She plunged deep into it, finally coming to a stop at the bottom of a large hole. The shadows plunged into the hole after her, but Blossom took a deep breath and blew forth a cloud of sub-zero ice. The ice coated the area above her in a six-foot thick sheet.  
  
Blossom whirled and slammed herself into the soft Earth, tunneling as fast as she could. Already she could hear the shadows pounding their way through her blockade, it would only be a moment before they resumed their pursuit. She could be long gone by then... but that would leave the Townvsille citizens to take the brunt of their rage.  
  
"God... why can't I just abandon those low-lifes!?" Blossom demanded of herself. She whirled as the ice shattered and a wave of darkness flooded through the tunnels toward her. Blossom threw herself into the ceiling, tunneling with all her might as the darkness came right up underneath her. Finally she exploded into the night sky, shooting into the air with the black shapes hot on her heels.  
  
She gasped when one of the shadows caught her foot. Instantly they were all on her, pummeling her from every direction at once. She slammed her fist into one, flailing wildly, but two of the shadows caught her arms, holding them out to the sides. Two others caught her legs, pulling them out to their full extension. Blossom struggled against her captivity, but she had no leverage.  
  
She growled as the fifth shadow floated up to her slowly, its crimson eyes narrowing. "So... which little traitor are you?" Blossom demanded angrily. "Buttercup? Bubbles? Or are you one of the really evil ones? You all look alike to me." Blossom sneered. Suddenly a fist slammed into the side of her face, snapping her head back.  
  
The shadow's fists plunged into her body in a furious barrage, digging into every piece of flesh they could find exposed on her body. Tears of pain ran down Blossom's cheeks as the shadow dug into her stomach. Suddenly it shifted to her face, pounding it well beyond recognition, and not even stopping then.  
  
Finally the shadow stopped and floated back. Blood rained from Blossom's body to the city miles below, while she hung limp in the arms of her captors. Still she raised her head weakly, panting and crying in pain. "I won't... serve Him..." She gulped in pain. "I don't care... what he does... I won't give in like you..."  
  
The shadow turned away from her and floated away, followed by the other four. They dragged Blossom with them through the air. Blossom let her head hang down to her chest, staring down at the city. She could see the people gathered near Pokey Oaks Elementary, staring up at her in shock and horror. Had she been fighting to protect them? Why? They were useless whiny little worms...  
  
She blinked when her gaze settled on Robin. The little girl had her hands clasped in front of her against her chest, watching her with tears running down her face. _They closed your heart_. That was what Robin had told her. Had her heart opened somehow? Was what she felt compelled to do... what she really wanted? Or had the girl gotten to her somehow? It was so confusing... was her heart that of a survivor... or a hero?  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	9. Unspoken Bonds

Part 9: Unspoken Bonds  
  
Blossom groaned in pain as she was carried through a series of labyrinthine caverns underneath the volcano in the middle of Townsville. She hung limply in the arms of her captors, her blood leaving a trail on the molten rocks. None of the shadows had said anything to her the entire way... it was like their very souls had been constrained within their bodies. It was hard to believe Bubbles and Buttercup were among them.  
  
She looked up as they emerged into a massive cavern, in which no normal human could ever survive. The heat from the floor of molten lava below was enough to melt their skin right off their bones, but it was a minor annoyance for the Whoopass Girl, and was probably unnoticed by the crimson skinned figure that stood on the small island in the middle of it all.  
  
"At last... the final piece of light in my shining crimson world." He turned around, grinning ear to ear as he watched her slump in the shadows' arms. "You knew you couldn't hide from me forever Blossom."  
  
"I don't care what you do to me, I-" Blossom was interrupted.  
  
"You'll never follow me. Yes, I heard." He smirked and shook his head. "You speak as if you have any say in the matter." He floated over the pool of lava, never moving his gaze away from hers as he approached. Blossom pushed herself up to her full height with some effort, standing tall and proud.  
  
She gulped as his claw settled on her head, the points digging slightly into her flesh. Suddenly a scream erupted from her throat as crimson energy surged straight through her brain. It felt like she was on fire, inside and out. And no matter what she did, the flames wouldn't die. That agony buried itself deep into her mind, digging at her consciousness like a hammer.  
  
Finally His claw moved away from her, but the pain didn't end. Blossom was sobbing uncontrollably, wishing for the pain to end one way or another, but it simply didn't happen. Had Bubbles and Buttercup gone through this? "Put her in chains. I'll let her tender up before taking her under my power." The shadows pulled her toward the back. She didn't have the will to fight back anymore.  
  
She looked around frantically, looking for any escape from the searing pain in her mind. She was being carried into a row of cells, with bars seemingly grown out of the molten rock that surrounded them.   
  
She could see a human figure hanging in one of the cells with crimson chains around her wrists. She was somewhat short, with slightly longer than shoulder length blonde hair, wearing a red jumpsuit with a silver belt around her waist. She was hanging unconscious in her chains. The heat wasn't so bad here, probably why they kept the human here. The shadows dragged her into one of the cells and pushed her against the wall.  
  
Chining bands of blood-red light emerged from the rock, wrapping around her wrists and ankles. Blossom looked one of the shadows in the eyes, still sobbing in agony. "I'm... I'm sorry... I... called you... traitors..." She squeezed her eyes shut. She hadn't known what they'd had to go through. She never knew He had the power to inflict this kind of torture.  
  
The shadows left, letting the bars form again out of the molten rock that surrounded her. She pulled at her chains, but she wasn't sure she could have broken them even if she was at full strength. As it was, they didn't even begin to budge.  
  
She broken down and hung limp in her chains, letting the tears flow down her cheeks as surely as the blood still dripped from her wounds. The pain just wouldn't end. No matter how she begged and pleaded to any entity that came to mind, it still dug into her brain like a ravenous parasite, consuming her senses. She couldn't fight it...

* * *

Sam walked into the kitchen, pushing the door open and approaching the small pantry near the back. She pulled the door open and blinked. All that was left was a can of ravioli with a drawing of a cartoon character on it. She sighed and grabbed it, pulling it out of the pantry. It looked like her peaceful time with Mandy was gonna have to end... they had to go into the city and find more food. After breakfast at least.  
  
She grabbed the can and poured it into a bowl before sticking it in the microwave. She looked over when Mandy pushed the door open and walked in, yawning and stretching sleepily. "Good morning." She smiled.  
  
"Good morning." Sam replied with a gentle smile. "I hope you slept well last night, we're going to need our energy today."  
  
"Oh? Why?" Mandy asked curiously. The microwave beeped as if on cue and Sam pulled out the bowl, setting it on the table.  
  
"Have some of our last meal." Sam smirked. Mandy sighed as Sam pulled out a pair of forks and handed it to her, sitting in the chair beside her.  
  
"We knew it would happen eventually. Maybe it's not such a big deal, its been a while since this all started. Things must have started to calm down by now, right?" Mandy asked. Sam didn't answer, spearing one of the ravioli chunks with her fork and sticking it in her mouth. "Do you think we'll run into anyone while we're out? You know... anyone who's not completely insane?"  
  
"It's possible I guess." Sam replied softly. She looked over at Mandy, to find that her violet eyes were already staring into Sam's emerald green ones. "But then... anything's possible."  
  
Mandy coughed and looked down. "Including both of us getting killed." She said. Sam didn't respond, watching her as she speared another piece of ravioli and jammed it into her mouth. "Look... in case one or both of us dies... I wanna say... the last few days have actually been the best days of my life."  
  
"I know... in a way... I feel that way too." Sam smiled and wrapped her good arm around Mandy's shoulder. Mandy smiled and leaned against her, still staring up into her eyes with her large, violet orbs. Sam stared back, reaching up to stroke her cheek gently with one hand.  
  
Mandy leaned up toward her, pressing her lips gently to Sam's. Neither of them were lesbians... they knew that. This wasn't about lust, it wasn't even about love really. It was about warmth... compassion... the power of a gentle touch and caress to heal the soul. They gave each other comfort and reassurance as their kiss deepened, sinking into each other's firm embrace.  
  
Time stood still for the two lovers locked in each other's embrace, even as the reddening sun made its way across the sky. Their hearts ached for the passion one could only feel in the embrace of another, and their bodies trembled as a long denied need was finally met. They held each other close, sinking into the large king sized bed in the master bedroom.  
  
They would still have to venture out to find more food after this was over... but for the moment that didn't matter. Their hands caressed their once-tender skin, now made harder and tougher by the weeks of hard living and unbalanced diets. But that didn't matter at all. They moved on the bed together, feeding each other through caresses and kisses the comfort that had been so lacking in recent weeks.  
  
They were both shuddering and panting by the time their energy built to a crescendo, exploding as one and flowing through both like they were, for an instant, the same person. When the sensations settled they found themselves on the bed, lying against each other. Mandy wrapped her arms around Sam, sighing in contentment. They both ignored the sweat running down their bodies to the sheets, and the exhaustion didn't matter. They would recover... and they would be stronger than before, with the strength of them both pooling into one unstoppable force.

* * *

Alex was able to hobble over the grass with Helen holding onto her arm, keeping her steady on her feet. Several days had passed, and she was still feeling weak, but she was slowly regaining her strength. Abundant food (the origin of which Helen refused to reveal), drinking water, and exercise sped up the healing process. She was still a pile of barely held together bones, but there was a muscle or two beginning to form.  
  
The sky overhead was growing redder still, though she was relieved to have had Helen tell her that she saw it too. She'd been afraid her eyesight was irreparably damaged or something. Clover stayed with her wherever she went, always hovering nearby and offering pieces of advice every now and again.  
  
"How long have you been out here?" Alex asked with an increasingly strong voice.  
  
"Well now, I s'pose its been a month now hasn't it?" Helen replied thoughtfully. "I was in the middle of a vacation when all Hell broke loose. Stayed out here ever since. Haven't seen anyone else come 'round except fer you."  
  
"I see..." Alex looked around at the grassy plains around them. The wet, chill grass felt wonderful underneath her bare feet. This place looked like paradise except for the strange sky color. "Can you help me get back to America? I kinda failed Geography... I don't even know which way it is from here."  
  
"America? It's right that way." Helen pointed out across the blood washed sea, at the setting crimson sun. "But I dun see why ya'd be so eager ta go back there. It was chaotic enough when there was some sanity in the world. Now it's probably a roving wasteland of perverts and murderers."  
  
"My friends are waiting for me there... I have to go back, I have to find them." Alex stopped and looked up at the taller Irish woman. "They're probably worried about me... I can't just stay here."  
  
"And what makes ya think they're still alive?" Helen asked.  
  
"Nothing... but it doesn't matter." Alex shook her head. "I still have to go back... I just have to." Alex stared up at the taller and older woman with a fierce gaze. Helen stared back until finally she broke out in a broad smile and slapped her shoulder, nearly throwing her off her feet.  
  
"Yer a loyal lass with a lot of spirit." She smiled and squeezed her shoulder. Alex felt like her arm was about to snap, but thankfully Helen let go before it did. "I like that. Alright. Ya got yerself a ride back to America. I'll make the preparations, then in a few days when yer strong enough we'll head out." Alex smiled gratefully, then stopped when she realized something.  
  
"We? You're coming with me?" Alex asked curiously.  
  
"Ya said yer bad at Geography. I can't in good conscience push you out on a boat and say 'good luck'." She chuckled. Alex's face drained of what little color it had regained.  
  
"A... boat?" Alex gulped. She'd been on a boat for the last three weeks or so, she wasn't eager to go back out onto the water. Suddenly staying here seemed like a pretty damn good idea.  
  
"Did ya think ya were gonna fly? I'm no pilot, and there's an ocean between us and our destination." She smiled and patted Alex's head like she was a frightened kitten. "Dun worry. I'll be there, and this one will have an engine. We'll get there in a few days." Alex nodded, trying to quell the sick feeling that plagued her stomach all of a sudden. She hated the ocean; she almost wished she'd let Tim Scam evaporate the whole thing. But if it was what she had to do, then she would do it...

* * *

Sam and Mandy's hands clasped together as they marched down the street, both keeping a careful eye on their surroundings. San Francisco was littered with weapons, blood, rubble and bodies lying around on the streets in a gruesome reminder of what the world had become while they'd spent their time lounging about in their small corner of paradise.  
  
Mandy's squeezed Sam's hand tighter as they passed by the body of a young girl lying on the ground, apparently trampled underfoot in one of the initial riots toward the beginning of all this. The body was already beginning to rot, proving that nobody... nothing was safe in this Hell. Even if they thought they were safe in their cabin, Hell would find them.  
  
Sam squeezed back as they reached the parking lot of a nearby Wal-Mart Supercenter. They figured nobody came to Wal-Mart when the world was intact, why would they start coming here after the world was over?  
  
They made their way through the wreckage-strewn parking lot, walking around the few cars that remained. They were all destroyed however, with smashed windows and missing electronics. She supposed someone had thought they could sell the stereos in the chaos. Of course, the irony was nobody now would care about that kind of thing.  
  
They made their way inside. The interior was completely dark except for the red light let in through the scattered skylights. The merchandise lay in random piles all over the ground, and there were undoubtedly human bodies hidden amidst the junk.  
  
Sam and Mandy made their way through the store to the grocery section, keeping their hands clasped the whole time. The smell of rotten food mixed with the lingering smell of blood and rot until they could barely stand up straight, but they pressed on to the canned foods section. The cans lay on the ground randomly, which seemed to be a recurring theme in this damned new world.  
  
"Grab what you can... anything that can keep for a while." Sam knelt down and started gathering up anything within reaching distance, shoving it into a pillowcase she'd brought for just that purpose. Mandy followed suit, glancing nervously at the lumps that lay about the floor.  
  
"You don't think there'll be... like... zombies do you?" Mandy asked worriedly. Once Sam would have laughed, but after all this she truly had no idea.  
  
"Let's hurry up and not find out." She replied. They filled their sacks to capacity and turned to leave, rushing over the piles of bodies and merchandise until they reached the front door and emerged into the parking lot. Sam looked up. The sky was blood red... not a trace of the blue that had once been so comforting remained.  
  
They retraced their steps back through the city, thankfully avoiding any confrontations. The bodies hadn't moved either, negating Mandy's zombie theory. But then, they could always start walking around later. Sam shook her head of that ridiculousness as they reached the beach and walked out onto it.  
  
"God no..." Mandy muttered, her eyes going wide. Sam dropped her pillowcase of cans to the sand, watching as a towering inferno blazed where Mandy's summer home had been just an hour before. Plumes of thick black smoke billowed into the sky, as a man with a straggly gray beard leapt and hollered in front of it.  
  
"Let the old world BURN! Let the fires of God cleanse the world of all sins!" He whooped and hollered joyfully, jumping up and down.  
  
"Our one safe haven..." Mandy stared at the flames in shock, dropping her own pillow case. "Our paradise... it's gone..." When the shock wore off, she growled and stomped toward the crazy old man who was still dancing in front of the flames.  
  
"Uh... Mandy..." Sam rushed after her. This old man could be dangerous.  
  
"And He said unto me, bring this world to the ground, so that it may rise from the ashes and begin anew!" The old man shouted, holding his hands to the sky and staring at the blood red sun. "And I have my Lord! I have!"  
  
"You bastard!" Mandy socked the old man in the mouth, sending him stumbling to the mouth. "Do you know how long this house has been in my family? Since before I was born!"  
  
"The cleansing fires of God will purge this world of sin!" The old man bellowed.  
  
"Sin this!" Mandy slammed her sharply pointed shoe into the man's groin before whirling and stomping away from him. Sam followed behind her, ignoring the old man's frantic squeaking. "That sick little son of a bitch... where are we supposed to go now!?" Mandy exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. "Hell, why not just curl up on the sand? It's as good a place as any!"  
  
"Relax Mandy." Sam put one hand on her shoulder, squeezing comfortingly.  
  
"Well where do we go? Unless you want to just wander around randomly until we find something, we're out of options." Mandy turned to glare at Sam. Sam sighed and looked down at the ground, trying to think of what to do. Their home was burned to the ground... there was nowhere else to go. Even if they found a new place, it would only be a matter of time before that one was either destroyed or taken over by some insane whackos.  
  
"Sam?" Mandy put her hand on Sam's cheek, moving her head so she could stare into her eyes. "What are you thinking?"  
  
"We need to go back to Beverly Hills..." Sam told her. Mandy blinked.  
  
"There's nothing there Sam. All of our homes are demolished, believe me I checked before I pulled you out of your burning house." Mandy smirked.  
  
"We're not going for a place to stay. We need to find something I dropped." Sam replied. Mandy blinked in confusion, but Sam gripped her shoulders. "Come on Mandy, we can't hide anymore. No matter where we go, this whole thing will catch up to us. We have to keep moving... and maybe we can do something about it."  
  
"What... you mean like you and me save the world?" Mandy smirked. "And you always thought I had a big ego."  
  
"Do you trust me?" Sam stared into Mandy's eyes intently, squeezing her arms. Mandy stared back, taken off guard by her intensity.  
  
"Y... yes..." Mandy nodded.  
  
"Then let's go." Sam gripped her hand and pulled her along on her way toward the street. Beverly Hills wasn't too far from here, and from there, with any luck, they would have more efficient modes of transportation than a car.

* * *

Professor Utonium stood back and watched as his two remaining spies loaded their new weaponry onto the WOOHP jet. He had been working for days to build it all, and after extensive testing they were ready to use it. Now all they needed was to lure the controlled Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys into their trap. Of course, that feat was easier said than done.  
  
"They wanted Blossom. If we can find her, we should be able to use her to lure them out into the open." Professor Utonium had stated in their meeting that morning.  
  
"Do we have any idea where she might have gone after leaving WOOHP headquarters?" Jerry had asked.  
  
"Do we even know that she escaped? She could have been captured by now." Crimson pointed out. The others remained silent for several minutes before Jerry spoke again.  
  
"That's always a possibility, but until we know for certain we have to take to heart any chance we have." Jerry looked around at Alice, Crimson, and Professor Utonium, whom his gaze settled on. "Where would she go?"  
  
"If she's at all like she used to be..." Professor Utonium said. "She would go back to Townsville."  
  
"Then that is our destination." He turned his gaze to Alice and Crimson. "Load all of our weapons onto the WOOHP jet while I refuel it. We leave as soon as possible." Alice and Crimson nodded, getting up and turning to begin their assigned tasks.  
  
Professor Utonium was snapped out of his half-dazed state when Alice walked up to him, giving him a gentle smile. "We're ready to go Professor. Come on." She put her hand on his arm and guided him toward the jet. He hadn't gotten much sleep over the last few weeks, particularly in recent days, and exhaustion was beginning to play tricks with his senses.  
  
She pulled him onto the jet and pushed him into one of the seats, reaching around to buckle him into it. "Thank you." The Professor told her with a sheepish smile. He felt like an old man who had to be taken care of. Even Jerry was doing more work than he was, and he was by far the oldest person in their group. Quite possibly the oldest person left on Earth for that matter.  
  
Alice sat in the seat beside his, pulling her seatbelt tight around herself and giving the Professor another smile. "Don't worry about it, you've been working hard lately."  
  
"Are you sure you should come? You could stay here. The defenses are still in place, and there are enough rations to last two people for several years." The Professor asked, looking down at her stomach.  
  
Alice looked down slightly, then grabbed his hand and placed it over her abdomen. He could feel movement, as though the child was growing restless. "I couldn't keep this contained to a military bunker, feeding off of tasteless rations... I want him to grow up normal and happy. And the only way for that to happen, is to bring order back to this world." She looked up at him, staring into his eyes.  
  
"It may already be too late for that." The Professor reminded her softly, staring back.  
  
"Then being dead won't be much different than being alive." Alice said solemnly. The Professor stared down at her, then nodded in acceptance. He moved his free hand to take her hand firmly in his. She smiled and squeezed his hand as the WOOHP engines began powering up. They were off to find Blossom... the last ray of hope this planet had left.  
  
Everyone looked in surprise as one of the consoles on the wall of the jet began to beep.

* * *

Mandy stood behind Sam, who was knelt down beside a pile of something beside the burned and ruined wreckage of her Beverly Hills home. She seemed to be trying to talk to the pile of small metal pieces, poking it with her finger and occasionally saying the name 'Jerry'. "Um... Sammykins... maybe we should leave and find another place to hide out..." Mandy suggested.  
  
"Damnit... please let something in this pile of junk work." Sam started pounding the small pieces of scrap metal with her fist.  
  
"Okay... you're officially scaring me now." Mandy said. Suddenly the small pile of metal started beeping rhythmically. Sam looked ecstatic, but Mandy was just confused. "What is that? Why is your broken makeup kit beeping?"  
  
"The tracking device is activated... I just hope someone's out there to pick it up." Sam stood up and looked up at the darkening sky overhead. Mandy looked up, but didn't see anything.  
  
"Okay Sam... I'm getting more and more confused, so either explain all of this, or I'm going to officially consider you completely loony." Mandy demanded.  
  
"Before this all happened, I was a spy with the World Organization Of Human Protection." Sam replied. "This was my Compowder... and it has a tracking device. If there's anyone in the organization left, they'll be able to come pick us up by tracking it." Mandy just stared at her, her jaw falling open.  
  
"You... you do that..." Mandy started to back away slowly. "You can wait for some spaceship or something to pick you up, but I'd rather go find shelter."  
  
"I knew you wouldn't believe me." Sam shook her head. "Just wait a few minutes and you'll see."  
  
"No Sam, I have survival issues to take care of. I would love it if you'd come with me... but I'm not sitting here waiting to be killed or raped by the lunatics who are still wandering around." Mandy marched away from her.  
  
"Mandy! Come back! Just wait!" Sam pleaded. She couldn't MAKE Mandy wait... but she didn't want to leave her alone in this place. She would have brought the homing device with her if she didn't think it would turn off the moment she touched it. She was lucky it had activated in the first place. She was so close to being picked up by WOOHP... but Mandy...  
  
Mandy marched with a stiff back, but in reality her heart was breaking with each step. She'd come to depend on Sam since this had all started. Now Sam was going to let her walk off all for some organization that might or might not exist. Was Sam actually cracking? She didn't care... she'd always been cracked really. She just wished Sam would be cracked with her...  
  
Finally Sam broke down and charged after her. "Mandy, wait for me!" Mandy smiled as Sam ran up beside her, panting and wrapping one arm around her shoulders. "Okay... we can do it your way..." Sam said. Mandy put one arm around her waist and kept walking. Life in pseudo-paradise would continue... but become far more difficult.

* * *

Jerry stared down at the broken compowder and sighed. They'd been so excited when the homing beacon had activated, but the wind must have triggered it somehow. With a sigh he lifted his foot and smashed the homing beacon. It was Sam's compowder signature, which meant this was Sam's compowder. Out here in this desolate wasteland...  
  
"Rest well Samantha... you've earned it." He lifted his hand in a salute, staring out across the blasted landscape before turning to walk back into the WOOHP jet. Now it was on to Townsville...  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	10. Brewing Storms

Part 10: Brewing Storms 

Blossom hung from her chains limply, having long ago given up fighting the pain that continued to ravage her consciousness. He knew too well what he was doing... it was almost like everything that happened was according to some master plan of his. It pissed her off to no end... but there was nothing she could do about it. Fighting was futile... she was lost... 

She looked up slowly when she heard one of the shadows walking down the hall toward their cells. It was carrying a silver platter of soups and a glass of water. She watched the dark figure approach her cell... them walk straight past it to the neighboring one. Blossom watched curiously as the figure approached the red jumpsuit-clad girl hanging against the wall... now that Blossom concentrated she could recognize her... 

The shadow moved up to Clover and set the platter on a small rock platform that grew out of the wall beside her. It placed its hand under her chin, pulling her head up from her chest. 

Clover's eyes opened somewhat, though it was questionable whether she was conscious or not. Blossom stared when she saw the girl's eyes glowing crimson, her own eyes completely masked by the demonic glow within them. The shadow started shoveling food into her mouth with the spoon, food that she hungrily accepted. 

Why would He want to keep Clover alive? What was he doing with her? His specialty was messing with the minds of his enemies... a trait that she and her sisters had experienced many times in the past. He must be using Clover for something... but what? What could he possibly need her for when he already had all of the 'girls and 'boys under his command? 

Blossom watched the shadow pick up the glass and stick a straw in it, letting Clover drink her fill. When she finished the shadow let her head fall back to her chest and turned to leave, carrying the platter with it. The molten bars reformed as it left, leaving Blossom staring through the cell at the teenage spy. 

"Hey." Blossom called softly. Clover picked her head up slightly, her crimson-hued eyes opening halfway. "Clover, over here." Clover turned to look in her direction slowly, though it was impossible to tell if she actually saw her or not. "What's going on? Why are you here?" Blossom wasn't really in the mood for conversation, but it managed to take her mind off the searing pain. 

"No... Alex... don't..." Clover replied softly, turning her head to stare sightlessly into the air in front of her. "Listen... to me... don't listen..." She thrust herself forward suddenly, pulling at her chains with all of her strength. 

As Blossom watched, she groaned and strained against the bonds that held her, but finally she fell limp again, letting her back swing against the wall with a dull thud. Her eyes remained open, staring down at the ground in front of her. "Alex... don't... it's not..." she trailed off, closing her eyes and lowering her head to her chest. 

"Not what?" Blossom asked curiously, floating up from the ground to move as close to the other cell as she could, chained to the wall as she was. "What's going on?" 

"Alex..." Clover muttered, with red tears flowing down her cheeks. "It's not... me..."

* * *

Alex stared out across the ocean, with her arms crossed over her chest. The blood red sky was reflected in the calm water, making it seem as if the sky continued on forever with no Earth in sight. Helen was down on the dock, readying the moderately sized speedboat she'd 'found' at a nearby warehouse. Alex sighed. It was almost time to back out onto that damned ocean... 

"Don't sweat it Alex." She heard Clover's comforting voice behind her. She looked back, grateful to have her best friend's smiling face to comfort her. "You'll get through this just fine. A few days of rocking back and forth, and you'll be back on dry land before you know it." 

"Yeah... I guess so." Alex said softly. "I know you're not real... but tell me you and Sam are okay Clover." 

"We're just fine Alex, I promise." Clover smiled and put one arm around her shoulders. "And when you get back home, we'll all solve the problems of the world together." Clover smiled comfortingly. Alex smiled back and nodded enthusiastically. 

"Are ye comin' lassie? We're ready to shove off." Helen called from the dock. Alex nodded and hobbled her way down the slope toward the docks, leaning heavily on the wooden cane Helen had given her to make things easier. Clover walked beside her, keeping her arms wrapped around one of Alex's. 

Helen helped her into the boat, as usual ignoring Clover and pushing the boat away from the dock before jumping in herself. Clover leapt onto the boat easily and sat down beside Alex. Helen cranked the engine, which started with a furious roar, and they took off across the water. 

Alex leaned against the side of the boat. She was already getting seasick, a problem she hadn't had before since she'd thrown up her entire last few meals within the first twenty-four hours. Helen took a deep breath and let it out with a satisfied smile. 

"The sky may be red, but the ocean breeze is as pure as ever." She nodded, looking around at the ocean that surrounded them. "I love the ocean... it's so calm and peaceful..." 

"It's slow, annoying, and lonely." Alex countered irritably, staring down at the bottom of the boat so she wouldn't have to look at the water anymore. By now Ireland had faded into the distance behind them, lost to the glowing crimson sky that now surrounded them on all sides. It looked endless... but she knew they would reach the end eventually. She just had to wait.

* * *

The WOOHP jet carved a path through the blood red sky, leaving behind it a trail of thick black smoke. Jerry sat at the controls, while Alice, Crimson, and Professor Utonium sat in the rear seats waiting to reach their destination. Alice hadn't said anything since they'd lifted off from Area 51, and neither had the Professor. 

Their detour to Beverly Hills had cost them some time, but it was time Jerry insisted they had to take. Alice couldn't complain, if there were any other WOOHP survivors it would be good to find them. It had turned out to be a major disappointment though. Just a broken, abandoned compowder... 

"There it is. Townsville." Jerry said from the control panel. Alice, Professor Utonium and Crimson all got up to walk into the cockpit. 

"Oh my God..." The Professor muttered as the rubble and debris of the tall, looming spires and skyscrapers of the once great city loomed ahead. It looked like, of all the cities in the world, this one had received the greatest attention from Him. It made sense when Alice thought about it. From what she knew, the Powerpuff Girls and Professor Utonium hailed from Townsville. He might have a personal grudge against this place. 

They sailed over the city, all looking down for any signs of life amid the blasted ruins. Nothing moved, not even any insects or stray animals prowled through the rubble. The entire city was desolate and destroyed. So they expanded their search to include the outer suburbs. 

"Over there!" Alice pointed as they passed over a small school, in front of which a line of tents and small huts had been building in the street. Jerry looked down at the small gathering of tents. 

"They're still alive." The Professor grinned, grateful to see his old friends and colleagues still alive kicking after all this time. 

"I'm taking us down." Jerry brought the WOOHP jet into hover mode, slowly bringing them toward the ground a little further down the street from the small settlement. The group gathered near the rear exist as the cargo hatch slowly opened. All of the adult survivors were already gathered by the time they emerged. Their eyes were full of distrust and suspicion until one short black-haired woman stepped forward. 

"Professor Utonium? Is that you!?" The woman rushed forward excitedly. 

"Miss Keane! It's been forever!" The woman rushed into the Professor's arms, giving him a massive hug. Alice growled softly to herself, but remained quiet. "I'm so glad you're alive. I was afraid He would have..." The Professor trailed off, the smile fading from his lips. 

"No... not yet at least." Miss Keane smiled sadly. "Those shadows keep coming back... it's almost like they're drawn here. And last time... they took..." 

"Took...?" The Professor prompted softly. 

"They took Blossom." Miss Keane replied. Alice stared, then looked around at her companions. Jerry had his eyes closed, while Crimson clenched her fists angrily at her sides. She'd been right... Blossom was already gone. It was too late. He had all six of the Chemical-X creatures. Unless they could find them and catch them by surprise... it was all hopeless. 

"Are you okay Professor?" Miss Keane asked. 

"No..." The Professor replied softly. "I'm sorry... but I'm not. There's nothing we can do now..." Miss Keane and looked past him as Jerry spoke. 

"Unless we can find His hideout, there's nothing we can do now but wait for Him to come for us all." Jerry said. Silence reigned, until a pair of tiny footsteps marched through the crowd. All eyes turned as a young girl with long brown hair and bright blue eyes stepped forward. 

"Excuse me sir... I'm Robin Schnieder... I... I know where they took Blossom... I followed them." She stated softly. "They're underneath the volcano in the middle of Townsville." Alice looked up at Jerry, who looked around at the stunned crowd. 

"There's no way we can fight inside a volcano." Jerry told the gathered crowd. "But we have enough weapons to wage a full scale assault on the mountain, and the... shadows. All we need are troops." His eyes scanned the crowd in front of him. One by one, hands began to rise. Miss Keane's was first, followed by a tall lanky redhead, and many more after that. 

Alice stared in surprise. The entire settlement was volunteering to wage war against these superbeings who had been decimating the planet piece by piece for the last month. She knew Jerry was a good leader, but she'd never realized just how good. She supposed one didn't become the leader of an international organization without certain leadership qualities. 

"Then tomorrow..." Jerry stated, pushing his hands into his pockets like he was announcing another routine mission for his spies. "We fight."

* * *

Alex would have hopped up and down in excitement if she weren't weak and still sitting in a boat. It had taken awhile, but the east coast of the Unites States of America finally loomed ahead of her. She was back home again after a month of absence, back to civilization. She had to wonder what stores were still open after all this. Surely Clover and Jerry had succeeded in getting order restored. 

Her heart sank when they finally docked and pulled themselves onto American soil. The city into which they wandered was crumbling and ruined. Bodies lay on the ground like the grim reaper himself had swept through. Men, women, children, it didn't matter. 

"Oh my God... this... this is terrible..." Alex stared in shock, looking over at Clover in desperation. She wanted comfort, any comfort she could find. "Tell me this is an isolated thing... tell me the entire country isn't like this!" 

"Hey girl, trust me. Everything will be fine in the end... as long as you're careful." Clover replied enigmatically. Alex blinked in confusion, but didn't have time to dwell on it before Helen walked up behind her. 

"Well, we're here lass. Where do we go now?" she asked. Alex looked back at her, realizing that she had no idea. She didn't even know where in the country WOOHP headquarters was located. She blushed and looked down, too ashamed to admit she'd dragged them across the ocean for nothing. "We have ta GO somewhere. So make a choice." 

"I... I guess we could go back to California..." Alex suggested. Of course, that was no easy feat. They were on the opposite end of a country probably overrun by murderers, psychos, and nutcases. 

"Fine then, do ya know at least where that is?" Helen smirked. Alex nodded. It was probably the only state she knew the location to by heart, and that was because she lived there. They started walking, but Clover walked up beside Alex. 

"It's getting pretty late Alex. You should probably rest for a while, you're not strong enough to move around for a long time yet." Clover suggested. It sounded reasonable to Alex. Her legs were beginning to ache and the can she used to hobble along didn't help all that much. 

Alex turned to Helen. "Maybe we could rest a while before we get too far." 

Helen shrugged. "Fine, I'm not in a very big hurry anyway." Looking around, she spotted a small furniture store nestled in the middle of a string of larger stores. "Come on, we can rest in here." They walked toward the furniture store, with Alex rushing to keep up with her. Clover rested her hands gently on Alex's shoulders, helping give her the strength to move faster. 

"Whoa..." Alex walked into the store and looked around. Most of the furniture was as demolished as the rest of this city, but a few beds sat intact against the back wall. In fast, a few of the displays looked just fine, and they looked very inviting. Helen's bed in the cabin hadn't exactly been like sleeping on a cloud. "This must be where God shops." Alex hobbled over to one of the beds. 

Helen chuckled. "Go ahead and rest up lass." Alex climbed on top of one of the beds, setting the cane beside it while the rolled to her back, smiling blissfully. "We'll head out again in a few hours." Alex nodded while the larger Irish woman turned to find her own bed to rest on. 

Clover walked up beside Alex's bed, sitting on the edge. Her weight didn't affect the mattress at all, since she was imaginary. "You should be more careful Alex..." Her gaze turned to follow Helen. "She's planning something... I can see it." 

"Wh... what're you talking about? She's done nothing but help me." Alex replied shakily. Clover reach up with one hand to stroke her forehead. 

"Don't worry... I'm sorry I got you upset. I'll keep watch while you get some sleep." Clover smiled sweetly and brushed her fingers over Alex's forehead. Alex smiled up at her. 

"Thanks Clover..." Alex rolled onto her side. "I don't know what I'd do without you here..." She closed her eyes, trying to drift off into her first comfortable sleep in the last month.

* * *

Sam kept her hands on the wheel and her eyes on the road, though it didn't really matter what lane she used. The roadways were empty except for a few wanderers, who were either begging or robbing anything that came into view. She and Mandy didn't feel like taking the risk of being robbed, so they kept to themselves and moved down the road in their newly acquired beat up old Cadillac. 

Mandy looked down at her feet, pulling down her also newly acquired pair of sunglasses. The red sky was starting to give them headaches, so they decided to protect themselves from it. "Hey, someone left a CD case in here." Mandy grabbed it and hauled it up to her lap. 

"Oh yeah? Put something on." Sam said amiably. Mandy dug through the CD case, throwing CD's out her window like so many Frisbees until she finally found one and stuck it into the dashboard CD player. Sam smiled slightly when an old familiar song started playing over the speakers. 

_Mother mother   
Tell your children   
That their time has just begun   
I have suffered for my anger   
There are wars that can't be won_

Sam tapped her hand on the steering wheel to the beat, nodding her head slightly. They weren't driving anywhere in particular at the moment. Their only destination was 'east' because 'west' would put them in the Pacific Ocean. There was nowhere to stay, so they figured moving randomly was as good an option as sitting out in the open. 

_Father father   
Please believe me   
I am laying down my guns   
I am broken like an arrow   
Forgive me, forgive your wayward son._

Mandy looked over at her, shouting over the song and the wind blowing through the windows. "Hey Sam, do you think we could stop in Las Vegas for a while? I've always wanted to go there." 

"Why not? It's not like we have anything better to do." Sam shouted back. Both girls laughed as Sam turned back to the road, bobbing her head to the music. 

_Everybody needs somebody to love (mother mother)   
Everybody needs somebody to love (please believe me)   
Everybody's bitching cause they can't get enough   
And it's hard to hold on when there's no one to lean on_

Sam looked over to the passenger's seat, watching Mandy bob her head slightly to the music and stare out across the desert that was the road into Nevada. She'd changed a lot over the last month, but she could still see that inner fire burning in those deep, haunting violet eyes. Sam looked up when they passed a sign that said 'Las Vegas, twenty miles'. 

_How you gonna live through the rain?   
Lord we gotta keep the faith   
Don't you let your love turn to hate   
Now we've gotta keep the faith_

* * *

"Alex... Alex wake up." Alex stirred with a groan when she heard a voice penetrating her deep, healing slumber. "Alex, hurry!" Clover's frantic, worried voice jarred her straight up in her bed. The lights in the store had been turned out, thought the red light from the windows illuminated it well enough. She could see Helen asleep in one of the beds a ways away from hers. 

"Clover... what's going on?" Alex asked worriedly. 

"Helen... she's conspiring to hurt you!" Clover told her frantically. Alex's eyes went wide and she looked over at the sleeping Irishwoman. She looked pretty peaceful to her... 

"A... are you sure? Why would she?" Alex asked. 

Clover suddenly appeared behind her, resting her hands on Alex's shoulders and moving her lips close to her ear. "Believe me... I saw her. She was talking with... Him." Alex went cold. She remembered Him, she'd spoken with him on the raft. One hand reached up to rub the scars that remained on her throat from where his claw had dug in. 

"You know what you have to do Alex... protect yourself. Protect yourself, and stop His plan." Alex gulped, pushing herself up from the comfortable bed. "You can stop Him... one ally at a time." Clover stayed with her as she approached Helen shaking with uncertainty and fear. 

"I don't know Clover... how would you know... you're just..." Alex mumbled worriedly. 

"I'm your best friend in the world... you still trust me, don't you Alex?" Clover wrapped her arms around Alex's neck loosely, resting comfortably against her back. Alex nodded slowly, staring down at Helen. "Then do it... trust me, and help me stop Him." 

Alex reached forward slowly, reaching for the pillow that lay beside Helen. She picked it up, wrapping it up in both hands. She stared down at the woman's inert form, trembling in uncertainty. "Help me Alex... and save yourself. You can stop all this by cutting off his allies... you can save the world." Clover spoke into her ear as she lifted the pillow above her head. 

Finally with a yell Alex leapt on top of Helen, slamming the pillow down over her face. Helen let out a muffled scream in surprise and lashed out randomly, but Alex held the pillow tightly over her face. Those massive tree-trunk arms reached up to pluck the far smaller Latino girl off of her, but Clover slid behind Alex, sliding her hands along her bone-thin arms. Somehow, Alex held on, fighting against the massive woman's far greater strength. 

Eventually, Helen's struggles grew weaker and weaker until her arms fell limp to the sides of the bed. But still Alex held on, shaking and staring down at the pillow covering the large woman's face. Clover slid her arms up Alex's biceps to her neck, rubbing slightly as she spoke. "You did good Alex... one down... dozens to go." 

Alex looked over her shoulder at her best friend, who was giving her a comforting, supportive smile. "Wh... what should I do now...?" 

"Don't worry Alex... I'll take you everywhere you need to go."

* * *

Alice watched the citizens of Townsville line up for their weapons as Professor Utonium handed them out one at a time. From High-powered spotlights with enough output to roast a retina within seconds, to sound generators with such a high pitch that they could make a dog's brain explode (as a poor pooch found out when one of the kids by the name of Mitch got hold of one). 

"Remember everybody, these things are very high-output, but the batteries aren't made for this kind of thing. Activate them only in short bursts, they'll last longer." Professor Utonium advised as he continued handing out the weapons. Alice wasn't going into battle tomorrow, her and Crimson were given special orders by Jerry. But that didn't mean she wouldn't regret seeing the Professor go into battle against some pretty bad odds. 

Alice approached him from behind while he handed Miss Keane one of the weapons. "Professor, can I talk to you for a second?" 

"Of course." The Professor gestured for the line to wait a moment while he walked a small ways away with Alice. "What's on your mind?" 

"I know this may seem stupid but I just wanted to... well you know... wish you luck tomorrow." Alice looked up into his large, kind eyes. "As in... don't die on me, okay?" She smiled. The Professor smiled back and took one of her hands in his. 

"I could say the same to you." He told her softly. "I still think you should stay behind. You're in no condition to-" He was cut off suddenly. 

"I can't abandon Crimson like that." Alice waved that aside with one hand. "Anyway I... said what I wanted to say." She looked down and turned to leave but he held onto her hand. He pulled her back and wrapped his arms around her waist, planting a deep, yet gentle kiss on her lips. The people waiting in line made some whooping and cheering noises until he moved away from her. 

"Stay safe, Alice." Professor Utonium smiled. Alice smiled back, her hands lingering on his as she turned to get ready for tomorrow's mission. 

TO BE CONTINUED (Song: "Keep the Faith" by Bon Jovi) 


	11. Counterstrike

Part 11: Counterstrike  
  
The small army marched through the city streets with their weapons held at the ready. Professor Utonium and Jerry walked at the head of the small band of newly christened warriors, each clutching one of the Professor's Sonic Disruptors in their arms. These weapons were their only defense against the onslaught they were about to bring down on themselves. If they were fortunate, they might be enough to stun their enemies and trap them... but that was a very long shot, the Professor thought secretly.  
  
The army ground to a halt in the small park that surrounded the volcano, now full of dead grass and trees, with various small children's toys abandoned all around. Jerry stepped ahead of the small army and raised his Sonic Disruptor. He gripped the switch and turned it on. All they could hear was a soft vibration from deep within the machine as its mechanisms turned on. But the immense sound was enough to shake the volcano down to its very core.  
  
Jerry turned off his weapon and lowered it to watch as the vibration ceased. Everything watched silently until the volcano began to rumble on its own, growing louder with each passing second. Several Townspeople gripped their weapons nervously, but none could look away.  
  
Suddenly a mass of shadows burst forth from the cone of the volcano, showering the landscape in molten lava as they plunged down toward the small army. "Everyone, ready!" Jerry shouted. Every weapon was raised as the shadows plunged toward them. A quick count, and Jerry realized there were still only five. Blossom wasn't among them yet. As they'd hoped.  
  
Silence prevailed until the shadows loomed close and Jerry finally yelled "Fire!" The end result was visually disappointing. Hums arose from the Sonic Disruptors, and powerful beams of light shot toward the shadows. But their effect was not. The shadows howled in surprise and rage as the sound cut through their ears and the lights seared their retinas, forcing them to veer off course from the initial assault.  
  
Emboldened by their small victory, the Townspeople pressed the assault, bombarding the shadows with everything they had. Four of the shadows fled a distance away, but one of them whirled and streaked toward the army, closer to the ground while most of the army was watching the sky.  
  
The shadow buried itself deep into the group, knocking at least a dozen people off their feet, and probably killing half as many. Jerry rushed over and turned on his Sonic disruptor, keeping it aimed straight at the shadow. It wailed angrily and took off into the sky again, clutching its ears.  
  
Jerry pulled out his wallet and flipped it open, seeing an image of Alice and Crimson displayed on the screen. "We've got them out here, begin your mission girls." He told them.  
  
"We're on it." Alice and Crimson nodded in unison as the screen went dark. Jerry put his wallet away, turning to continue the fight against the shadows of past heroes.

* * *

Alice swung herself into the small cavern that led deeper into the volcano, landing in a low crouch with a heavy thud. Crimson landed beside her and they crept further along, keeping as silent as possible. The air was extremely hot in here, and they were sweating within moments of reaching one of the deeper tunnels. But still they pressed on, wandering through the mazelike corridors.  
  
"God, it feels like an oven in here..." Crimson growled. Wiping her forehead with the back of one sleeve.  
  
"I wish... I could go for a nice plate of cheese fries." Alice replied. She'd been craving food for the last few days, but knew she couldn't go about asking for more than everyone else got despite her pregnancy.  
  
"Hold on..." Crimson stopped, listening. Alice stopped and listened. They could hear a small guttural noise... it almost sounded like someone chanting in the distance. "Do you think it's Him?"  
  
"One way to find out what it is." Alice marched down the tunnel, eager to get this over with and get out of this heat. And back to her Professor.  
  
They reached the end of the tunnel and emerged into a small prison-type area. Within the rock-created cells, they could see two figures. One was the missing Powerpuff Girl, Blossom. The other they only knew from one time several months ago, when she'd helped save them from Edison. She was the one who was chanting softly to herself, something about being sorry and not listening.  
  
"Hey, it's one of the junior spies." Crimson remarked, walking up to the cell. "I wonder why He'd bother taking her. She's not very important to all this, why not just kill her?"  
  
"Whatever the reason get her out while I go for Blossom." Alice pulled out her Lipstick Laser and used it to slice through the molten bars of the cell. Crimson did the same with the blonde's cell, until they both marched inside up to their respective captives.  
  
"Hey, Powerpuff Girl, wake up." Alice slapped the little girl lightly. Slowly Blossom's large eyes opened and she looked up at the spy. "We're getting you out of here. Any idea how to get these chains off?" She tried using hr lipstick laser, but the chain didn't even heat up.  
  
"Who... you..." Blossom breathed confusedly, staring up at her. Staring into her eyes, Alice could barely see any of the life she'd seen weeks ago in WOOHP headquarters. Suddenly she closed her eyes and the chains snapped off her wrists, dropping her to the ground.  
  
"Blossom!?" Alice knelt down beside Blossom, slapping her cheek lightly. Blossom remained still on the floor however.  
  
"Whoa!" Crimson exclaimed. Alice whirled in surprise, looking through the bars of the cell to see Crimson staring at the blonde spy. Her eyes were glowing with red light... not unlike those shadows outside. Her mind was being controlled somehow... "Is he trying to do this to everybody?"  
  
"Get her down." Alice stood and approached the bars between the cells.  
  
"How? These things are unbreakable or something!" Crimson yanked as hard as she could, but the chains wouldn't budge. Finally she stopped and wiped her forehead, looking through the bars at Alice. Her eyes went wide as she looked past her partner. "DUCK!"  
  
Alice spread her legs, going into a low splits second before something lashed out over her head. It slammed into the bars separating the two cells, shattering them with enough force to break them into chunks smaller than her fingernail. She sprung herself forward, flipping through the air to land on the other side of Clover's cell, landing in a crouch.  
  
"Damnit... we're too late." Alice growled. Blossom floated in her cell, her eyes as deep red as the shadows that were currently locked in battle outside. "Get her down, we have to get out of here." Alice stepped back as Blossom floated forward menacingly.  
  
"Damn... hmmm..." Crimson took out her laser lipstick and directed it at the rock that the chains were attached to. Alice leapt into the air when Blossom lunged again, flying over her head and rolling away when she hit the ground.  
  
"Hurry it up Crimson!" Alice shouted, narrowly rolling out of the way in time to avoid having her head split open like a watermelon.  
  
"Got her!" Crimson finished cutting through the rock and held Clover in her arms, chains still dangling from her wrists. "Let's hit the road before someone even worse than her shows up!" Crimson darted out of the cage, holding Clover close to her chest.  
  
Alice watched Blossom's movements, waiting for another charge before leap/rolling toward the exit and slipping a Butterfly Barrette Bomb out of her belt. "Sorry Blossom, we tried!" She hurled it at the ceiling and charged down the hall away from the area. Blossom streaked out of the cell, but the bomb detonated with enough force to flatten her against the ground. It also caused the ceiling to cave in around her, burying her under a mountain of rubble.  
  
"We have to get out of this mountain before she gets free. Or He finds us." Crimson stated the obvious. Alice sighed. She hoped Jerry and the Professor's battles were going better.

* * *

For a while, their weapons were enough to hold the shadows at bay. But while they may have been under mind control, they weren't stupid. They couldn't get close, so they took to hurling things at the small army. Stop signs cut people in half, busses crushed them in groups, shards of glass from broken windows impaled them left and right. And out in the open park around the volcano, it was like shooting fish in a barrel for the shadows.  
  
It wasn't long before Professor Utonium realized how hopeless this was. Even when they were able to use their weapons effectively against them, they hadn't been enough to stun them. The best they could hope for was a stalemate, and thanks to his weapons' short battery life, even that could only last a short time. Several peoples' weapons had already run out of juice.  
  
The Professor moved over to Jerry, who was trying to keep his Sonic Disruptor aimed at one of the quick-moving shadows. "We have to get out of here. Our weapons aren't effective enough, and they're running out of... power..." He trailed off when suddenly, Jerry's weapon switched off. Several others followed, until suddenly the entire army was left defenseless.  
  
The shadows quickly realized their new advantage, and swooped in for the kill. They swooped down like vultures, picking people up and hurtling them into buildings, streets, signs, or even each other. The people screamed and broke into a full panic, running in every direction.  
  
"We can't leave without the spies." Jerry insisted, running back toward the volcano. The Professor followed him quickly, running with him along the dead grass up to the base of the volcano. Suddenly a deathly stillness filled the air, pricking the back of his neck.  
  
The Professor turned slowly, looking up at the sky. The shadows had gathered overhead, raising their hands above their head. Black energy began to form in their hands, growing in intensity. "No... God no..." The Professor muttered in horror. He'd seen his girls do this only a few times before. With three it was too powerful... it could kill anything. With five...  
  
The shadows thrust their hands downward, their power igniting and meeting at a spot a few feet in front of them. A stream of black energy ripped into the Earth itself, disintegrating buildings, the street, anything it touched. The energy swept across the city, wiping out anybody foolish enough to try to run through it, or who was caught in its path.  
  
Jerry and the Professor stumbled back as the stream moved across the park, disintegrating the surroundings and other people on its way toward them. Just before it touched however, the stream subsided. The Professor blinked and looked up at the shadows in confusion.  
  
They just stared down at him steadily before whirling and streaking back toward the volcano. They plunged into the cone, leaving The Professor alone. He didn't get why... He would surely want the Professor dead. But then... he realized that the girls had always had some degree of control over their actions.  
  
Everything the Powerpuff Girls held an emotional attachment to remained intact. Pokey Oaks Kindergarten still stood, Miss Bellum, Miss Keane, and all of their child friends remained alive through the onslaught, and just now they'd spared the Professor.  
  
Suddenly, both Jerry and the Professor were thrown off their feet when the ground under their feet started rocking.

* * *

Alice pumped her legs as fast as she could without leaving Crimson behind, burdened by Clover's unconscious form as she was. "Come on, we're almost there... I think." Alice encouraged her friend. The heat was taking its toll on them both, sapping their strength every second they were in here. They were already covered in their own sweat, their hair matted to their heads.  
  
Suddenly the Earth heaved, throwing them both to the ground. Clover slammed into the ground limply, groaning in pain and half-opening her shining crimson eyes. Alice looked up at the ceiling. "Shit... the bomb must have destabilized the entire tunnel system..."  
  
"Hey, maybe He'll get buried in here." Crimson commented, lifting Clover in her arms again as she climbed to her feet.  
  
"Great, now let's try not to get buried ourselves." Alice lurched forward, with Crimson following close behind her. The ceiling started to fall, but Alice grabbed Clover's chains and yanked them forward, pulling Crimson along behind her. Eventually, they emerged into the blood red sky, collapsing to the ground from exhaustion.  
  
"Spies! We were beginning to worry." Jerry knelt down beside them, looking down at Clover. "Oh my... Clover was in there? What about Blossom? Did you find her?"  
  
"Yeah... but she turned..." Crimson replied, looking up at him. "She's one of the shadows now..."  
  
"Oh dear..." Jerry hung his head. Professor Utonium knelt down beside Alice, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked softly.  
  
"Yeah... I'll be fine." Alice smiled slightly, panting for breath. Suddenly the ground shook again, even deeper this time as a roar erupted form the cone above them.  
  
"The volcano's erupting! Come on, we have to get out of here." The Professor lifted Alice into his arms, while Jerry picked up Clover, and Crimson climbed to her feet. They charged across the park as magma shot out of the cone, droplets spewing far enough to splash the nearby buildings. One drop hit the ground right near them, splashing onto Crimson's pant leg.  
  
"AGH! Shit, shit, shit!" Crimson kicked her leg furiously and growled in pain. She didn't have too much time to worry about it though, so she followed the others after dislodging as much of the magma as she could, running with a heavy limp now.  
  
Soon they were far enough away to all collapse to the ground. Crimson grunted and pulled her boot off, pulling her pant leg up to her knee. Her calve was scorched black, already flaking from the severe burns. Jerry moved to help her treat her wound while the Professor walked up to Clover, kneeling down beside her.  
  
He put one hand on her eyelid, pushing it open. Her eyes pulsed with crimson energy, startling him into letting go. Slowly he opened her eyes again, staring into those deep red pools. Looking down, he noticed that the glowing chains around her wrists were pulsing as well... in fact, they were pulsing in time with her eyes.  
  
"Anything you can do for her Professor?" Alice knelt down beside him, staring into Clover's blank eyes.  
  
"I don't know..." The Professor replied. They'd lost Blossom, and almost all of the remaining Townsville residents already. It was just lucky that the children had remained back at the small settlement. And now, he couldn't figure out what was happening to Clover. He was using her for something, and these chains were His link to her. But what was he doing with her...?

* * *

Alice, Profesor Utonium (who carried Clover), Jerry, and Crimson (who was being helped by Jerry) walked back to the settlement after Jerry had helped Crimson bandage and clean off her burned leg. Few adults had made it back to the settlement, Miss Keane and Sarah Bellum, among a few others, stood in the middle of a group of children. The children were chattering fearfully at the few remaining adults, trying to pry answers out of them.  
  
"Children please, calm down." Miss Keane knelt down to try to calm the children, wrapping her arms around several of them. "It's okay, I promise. You'll all be okay." She gave them a comforting smile while the redhead broke from the group of children and approached them.  
  
"It's good to see more friendly faces come back..." She told them with a gentle smile.  
  
"It's good to see you too Sarah." The Professor told her. "But if you don't mind, I should get to work on figuring out these chains... excuse me." He walked back her, still carrying the unconscious Clover to a nearby tent and closing the flap behind him.  
  
Alice gulped and looked up at the almost monstrously tall redhead, giving her a nervous smile. "So... how are the kids? Do you need any help?"  
  
"More than we're likely to find out here." Sarah looked back at the group of kids, giving a small sigh. "Almost every one of their parents died in the battle... if it wasn't for Miss Keane, they would probably be panicked by now." Alice nodded as she watched the short, but kind-faced woman reassuring the children with an ease born of long practice.  
  
Jerry helped Crimson hobble toward a small lawn chair set up beside one of the tents, setting her down to let her rest her throbbing leg. "Thanks Jerry. God this thing hurts like Hell..." She grunted, reaching down to put her hands around the burnt and blackened section of her leg.  
  
"Try to stay off of it for a little while, and it should be fine." Jerry replied softly. They waited with the few adults and many children left for several hours. A few more adults found their way back to the settlement, and were greeted with open arms by those who were already there. Everyone was in a daze, and Alice couldn't blame them. It felt like a bad dream, everything had changed overnight.  
  
Finally the Professor emerged from the tent he'd taken Closer into with a solemn look on his face. "Jerry, Alice, Crimson. Come with me." He told them seriously. The four named exchanged glances, then followed him back into the tent. Clover was lying on the bed with her hands still bound by those strange glowing chains in front of her. Her glowing red eyes were open, and she struggled absently against her chains, mumbling to herself feverishly.  
  
"Have you discovered what's wrong with her? Can you remove the chains?" Jerry asked.  
  
"Yes, and yes..." The Professor replied. "But there's something to think about before we do." He sat down in a chair he'd up beside the small bed, staring up at them. "These chains link her to Him... as long as she wears them, he can use her mind at will... their minds are connected... they're one."  
  
"So... what does that mean, exactly?" Alice asked.  
  
"If one of those minds were to stop working... both would?" Crimson asked.  
  
"That's the theory." Professor Utonium nodded. Alice stared at him blankly. One mind stopped functioning... did he mean...  
  
"You want to kill Clover!?" Alice exclaimed. "Are you crazy? She's an innocent girl, whose only crime was to try to help you fight against these evil little assholes!"  
  
Crimson shrugged. "Hey, like they say, the needs of the many..."  
  
Alice cut her off. "Don't feed me that Star Trek bullshit!" She shouted. "We're not talking about someone bravely sacrificing themselves for the good of others in some wondrous magical fantasy! We're talking about a real life cold-blooded murder here!" The others remained silent, all staring at the ground deep in thought. "She deserves as much of a chance of survival as the rest of us. And we don't even know for sure if killing her will get Him. The Professor could be wrong."  
  
"Yes, it's true." The Professor nodded. "But I thought if there was any chance we might be able to end this all, here and now, it should be discussed." He looked up at Jerry and Crimson.  
  
"I say we go for it." Crimson replied. "Even if it doesn't work, it won't matter much. We'll all be dead soon enough anyway." All eyes turned to Jerry, who was staring at the ground deep in thought. Alice knew he thought of all of his agents as his own daughters, so this had to be extra rough on him.  
  
Finally Jerry looked around at them, his gaze finally settling on Clover's mumbling, feverish body on the bed. "I cannot order one of my own agents to death... no matter what the circumstances." He closed his eyes. "This wasn't a mission I sent her on... she volunteered to do this because she believed in what we wanted to do. I cannot turn my back on her after that, no matter what it may mean for the rest of us."  
  
Alice smiled victoriously, while Crimson grumbled and shook her head. Professor Utonium nodded solemnly up at him. "I'll remove the chains, but it could take a little while."  
  
"Take all the time you need. We'll go decide what course of action to take next." Jerry stood up and turned to leave, leaving his spies and the Professor in the tent. Crimson shot a glare at Alice before leaving. Alice turned to Professor Utonium, who was examining the chains with his steady gaze.  
  
"Good luck Professor..." Alice turned to leave, letting him continue his work. No matter how desperate the situation got, she wasn't about to let them start killing innocent people in the off chance that it might help their cause. A victory through such means wouldn't be a real victory, because they would have become what they were fighting against. Jerry had seen that... but Crimson hadn't...

* * *

Alex gripped the steering wheel of her newly acquired Ford convertible with both hands, riding down the highway with her foot pressed down hard on the gas pedal. Clover rode in the passengers seat, leaning against the door with her feet propped up on the dashboard. Despite the heavy wind, her hair remained stiff, reminding her that she was still an imaginary figment.  
  
"What are we going to do now... Clover?" Alex asked softly, giving her friend a look that begged to be given some objective to make everything right.  
  
"We make all of those demon-serving bastards pay for what they did to you Alex... it's their fault." Clover looked back at her grimly, her eyes setting into a grim line. "Don't ever forget what they did... they all have to pay."  
  
"You're scaring me Clover..." Alex replied softly. "You... you sound like you're not going to be here to help me."  
  
"I'm sorry Alex, but I won't be." Alex stared at her in shock. "Just remember... they ALL have to pay... every last one of them." Suddenly she vanished, as if she had never been there in the first place.  
  
"C... Clover!?" Alex slammed her foot on the brakes, sending the car skidding along the street until it finally came to a stop. "Clover! No! Don't leave me alone again!" Alex crawled to the passengers seat, as though she could dig under the seat and find Clover hiding there. She felt around desperately, searching for any sign of her friend.  
  
"I don't want to be alone again... please..." Alex muttered fearfully, her hands beginning to shake. She was alone again... but she could still fulfill Clover's last wish. She wanted Alex to bring Him down... Him and all of His followers. She would fulfill her wish... it was all she could do. She wanted to bring this all to an end. If that was the only way, then so be it.

* * *

Clover's emerald blue eyes opened slowly, for the first time in weeks seeing through her own eyes, with control of her own mind. She saw Professor Utonium sitting over her, looking down at her with a gentle smile on his face. She heard the sound of chains falling to the floor. She could feel the wetness on her cheeks where tears had been flowing freely.  
  
"Good morning." Professor Utonium told her softly.  
  
"A... Alex..." Clover muttered. She could remember everything she'd said to her over the last few weeks... every word... every lie. The poor girl had believed every word... she'd listened to herself trick and manipulate her the entire way, and couldn't do a damn thing to stop it. Now it might have been too late... she had to find Alex.  
  
"Alex? What about her?" The Professor asked confusedly.  
  
"Where's Jerry? I have to see him." Clover sat up. She wasn't about to let her best friend go on a psychopathic rampage across the country because of her. She would save Alex's life... she would save Alex's soul if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

The Las Vegas strip was rather disappointing since none of the neon lights that made the city famous were working anymore. Now the city of lights was reduced to a city of memories, with shining structures reminding the world of what had once been. The casinos and nightclubs that had dubbed this town 'Sin City' were now abandoned and silent. A depressing sight for what had once had the most abundant nightlife in the country. As if there was a night anymore. That Hellish red glow never left now.  
  
"Hey, there's the Excalibur. And the Luxor." Mandy grinned, watching the crumbling landmarks pass by her window. "Would you believe with all my family's wealth we never once came here?"  
  
"Really? That's a surprise. Why not?" Sam asked curiously.  
  
"Too 'sinful'." Mandy stuck out her tongue. "My mom was against just about everything. Premarital sex, gambling, drinking, homosexuality..." She trailed off. Sam chuckled and gave her a sly look.  
  
"Well, who cares what she was against now? The world is ours." Sam gestured to the crumbling and run-down buildings that surrounded her.  
  
"Hey, pull over!" Mandy exclaimed. Sam pulled them to the side of the road and Mandy climbed out, running into a nearby building. Sam climbed out and ran after her, finding her way inside as Mandy walked up on a stage inside of a large auditorium. "You know, I've always wanted to perform in Vegas. It was like a dream since as long as I could remember."  
  
"Perform what?" Sam walked up to the edge of the stage.  
  
"No clue." Mandy replied. "Just perform something." She did a twirl or two around the stage, laughing at herself when she almost got dizzy and fell on her butt. "Whoa... I don't know how those dancers do it."  
  
"It's like anything, you gotta practice." Sam pulled herself up onto the stage. "But I hear it's easier with two people."  
  
"Is it now?" Mandy grinned as Sam walked up to her. Sam nodded and took Mandy's hands in hers, sliding her body up to Mandy's. She started sliding back and forth on the stage, with Mandy following her lead and leaning against her. They moved to an imaginary beat, with an imaginary audience sitting in the crowd and watching with smiles on their faces.  
  
"It's like having our prom on a grand stage..." Mandy sighed wistfully, resting her cheek on Sam's shoulder.  
  
"We can. Get some balloons, some snazzy dresses... or maybe a tux for me..." Sam noted.  
  
Mandy smirked and looked at her face. "Why would YOU get the tux?"  
  
"Because I'm the dominant one."  
  
"Oh, SO not."  
  
"Oh yes I am."  
  
"Nuh-uh!"  
  
"Yuh-huh!" Sam stuck her tongue out.  
  
Mandy smirked and silenced her with a deep kiss, capturing her tongue as it was being stuck out defiantly. Sam leaned against her, letting her hands slide over Mandy's waist. Soon Mandy ended the kiss and leaned her head on Sam's shoulder again, just enjoying the soft dance in the middle of the Las Vegas stage. It had been a long time dream for her, and as with most of her dreams it seemed, they were coming true only now that society had crumbled. Irony never ceased to amaze her.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	12. Final Massacre

Part 12: Final Massacre  
  
"Oh my..." Jerry muttered after listening to Clover's story of what He had been doing with her. It seemed that his manipulation knew no boundaries; he was intent on driving them as mad as possible, so long as he knew exactly where they were. Now Alex was out there somewhere, alone, and on a mission to kill as many of 'His followers' as she possibly could.  
  
"We have to help the poor girl." Alice stated wisely, nodding her head.  
  
"Don't we have more important things to worry about?" Crimson asked. "Like finding a way to destroy Him now that we've thrown away the one chance we might possibly have had." She shot Clover a dark glance. Clover had been told what had happened, what their options had been. Truthfully, she would rather have died, but it was too late to let her opinion be known now.  
  
"You all can keep looking for a way to defeat Him. I'm going to look for Alex with or without you. It's totally my fault she's doing this." Clover's statement left no room for argument.  
  
"We only have one WOOHP jet, and it's out of fuel. What, are you going to take a cab all across the country looking for her? She could be anywhere by now." Crimson shot back.  
  
"Perhaps we have something else that could be of assistance... if it's still intact." Professor Utonium stated thoughtfully. Everyone turned to stare at him, but he just smiled and gestured for them to follow him down the street away from the small settlement. They wound their way down the small road until they came to a rather conspicuous hole in the ground amid the rubble. It was all that was left of the Professor's house after Him had sunk it to keep him from getting to the Antidote-X.  
  
"What, are we going to dig out the Antidote-X? It could be at the center of the Earth." Clover pointed out.  
  
"No, not that. Something separate from my lab." The Professor walked around the hole to the backyard. The others followed, watching him stomp on the ground as he marched through the backyard in a manner that made him look loonier than any toon.  
  
"Um... Professor... what are you looking for?" Alice asked confusedly, watching him stomp around the yard. Finally the Professor came to a stop on one patch of grass and knelt down. His fingers dug into the soft ground, hurling it aside as he dug through the ground. "Here, I'll help!" Alice trudged up to the hole, slowed somewhat by the bulge in her stomach. She knelt to help him dig.  
  
Soon they uncovered a small control panel set into a steel plate. Jerry, Crimson, and Clover finally took interest and walked up to them, looking down at it. The Professor smiled and looked up at them. "This houses the most powerful machine ever built by mankind."  
  
"If it's so powerful, why haven't we been using it this whole time?" Clover knelt down beside him, staring down at the control panel.  
  
"For one thing, the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys combined are still stronger than it is. But also because its targeting systems are as effective as a blind toddler. You could destroy the planet before you ever scratch your opponent." The Professor opened up the control panel. "But it's fast, and solar powered. It should move you about fast enough to find your friend."  
  
"Wow, thanks..." Clover smiled slightly. She would be able to find Alex in a flash with this thing, if it was half of what Professor Utonium said it was. The Professor's fingers flew across the control panel, tapping buttons seemingly at random until the ground start quaking beneath their feet.  
  
Professor Utonium pulled Alice back as a large section of Earth in front of them split open. A massive form lifted out of the hole, shining red as the crimson sun shone off its highly polished chrome exterior. Everyone stared up in astonishment as what looked like a thirty foot tall Powerpuff Girl loomed over them, with a malevolent grin forever plastered on its face.  
  
"This is the Powerpuff DyNaMo." The Professor beamed proudly up at the massive machine. "It should get you anywhere you want to go." The Professor approached the machine's leg and pulled off a set of key. With the click of a button the machine got down on all fours, resting its head on the ground while its head opened to reveal the cockpit.  
  
"I'll take it!" Clover exclaimed, leaping into the cockpit.  
  
"Wouldn't this thing be better put to use on the battlefield in a plan against Him?" Crimson asked.  
  
"Oh you shut up!" Alice shouted, catching her redheaded friend off guard. "I'm getting tired of listening to you always want to take the low road! Just do as you're told and shut the Hell up!" Crimson blinked in surprise, then rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.  
  
"You're lucky I know you're pregnant." Crimson stated. Clover smirked and gripped the controls, closing the cockpit and pulling the DyNaMo up to its feet again.  
  
"You guys fight, I'm going for Alex." Clover stated, knowing her voice would be amplified outside the massive machine.  
  
"Good luck." The Professor waved up at her as she found the thrusters and turned them on. The machine rose into the air, turning to streak across the sky like a silver bullet. Alex had been somewhere outside New Jersey when Clover had last seen her several hours ago. She should still be around there somewhere.  
  
"Huh?" Suddenly an alarm went off and a picture of a radar screen came up in front of her. She could see six blips all heading toward the center. Damnit... she should have known they would come after her. The Professor had said this thing was really strong, and was big enough to be spotted for miles around. Oh well, Clover thought. She would get to see if it lived up to the hype.

* * *

Crimson marched into the small tent where Jerry was busy writing in a small journal at a wooden desk he'd found amid the rubble of Townsville. Crimson marched up to him and slammed her palm against the desk, demanding his attention. "What are we doing here Jerry!? We don't have time to be sitting around like a bunch of sloths!"  
  
"Calm down, Crimson." Jerry replied softly.  
  
"Calm down!? We just let Clover fly off with the best weapon we have left! What are we doing Jerry!?" Crimson yelled angrily.  
  
"We're calming down, and waiting." Jerry replied softly, staring into Crimson's eyes. Crimson stared back, her eyes narrowing dangerously when she finally read the message in his quiet, defeated stare.  
  
"We're just waiting to die..." Crimson said softly, pushing herself up to her full height. "You're not even going to try to fight anymore..."  
  
"We've exhausted ourselves, and our options." Jerry told her softly, looking down at the small journal in front of him. "He won't leave us alone anymore, and he knows where we are. If we try to move he'll find us... and he knows we're a threat. We will be attacked, and we will be killed." Jerry smiled softly, looking up at her. "There's nothing we can do now."  
  
"Bullshit." Crimson spat, slamming her fist on the table. "I'm not going to curl up and die here Jerry! We need to keep fighting!"  
  
"You're free to leave Crimson, but I don't know if it will make any different." Jerry told her.  
  
"Fine... you stay here if you want. I'm not giving up. I'm not going to curl up and watch those things come for me." Crimson whirled away from him, stalking to the exit. She stopped and looked back at Jerry once she was outside. "Goodbye Jerry... I hope you'll wise up and save yourselves." With one more glance she left, leaving her old boss and father-figure behind.

* * *

Sam leaned back in her seat as her and Mandy continued on the long road 'east', refreshed from their comforting pit stop in Nevada. The road was long and empty, but their hearts operated with renewed vigor. They bobbed their heads to the music that blasted from the stereo. Even the crimson sun couldn't get their spirits down now.  
  
Mandy looked up slowly, seeing something outlined against the sky. "What the Hell is that?" She pulled her sunglasses down to get a better look. Sam looked up. Something was heading straight for them out of the north, flanked by what looked like tiny black specks.  
  
"Holy shit!" Sam yanked the wheel to the side, sending them plunging off-road as the massive machine slammed into the street, tearing up the pavement as it skidded along. The shadows continued to pummel it from all sides, but it swatted at them irritably, sending them flying away from it. It lurched to its feet, but the shadows gathered behind it again.  
  
A massive black energy beam burned into the machine's back, sending it stumbling forward to the ground. Sam and Mandy screamed as the massive head came barreling toward them, but it caught itself just before the two women were crushed. It paused, those big yellow eyes staring down at them.  
  
"Sammy? Mandy?" An amplified but familiar voice echoed from the machine. Sam blinked, hardly believing her ears.  
  
"C... Clover!?" Sam shouted. The top of the machine's heads opened, revealing Clover sitting amid an entire circle of controls.  
  
"Get in, fast!" Clover shouted. Sam and Mandy lurched into the machine before the head closed again and it rose to its feet. Another series of quick impacts rocked the machine back and forth as if it was caught in a hurricane. The shadows outside seemed eager to bust it open like a tin can.  
  
"Clover, what is this thing? Where have you been? What's been happening?" Questions tumbled from Sam's mouth as she looked around at the extremely impressive machinery.  
  
"Reminisce later, fight now. Both of you, take some controls." Clover slid her seat to one side as Sam and Mandy each took one of the other seats.  
  
"How do you work this thing?" Mandy asked confusedly, staring down at the hundred different controls just in her section of the cockpit.  
  
"Push buttons and figure it out as we go." Clover replied. The machine took to the sky again in a silver streak. The shadows followed behind them, once again gathering together for a massive energy blast that knocked them off course. They righted themselves and resumed course, but the pounding they were taking finally made the systems start going haywire.  
  
"Okay. That's it." Clover muttered angrily. The machine whirled in the air, lashing out with one broad backswing. It knocked four of the six shadows back through the air, but the remaining two slammed into its chin, coming close to knocking the head clean off. The machine floated back, hurtling toward the ground as it was tipped off balance.  
  
"AAAAGH! DO SOMETHING!" Mandy screamed, clinging to the control panel desperately.  
  
"Shut up!" Clover screamed back. The machine flipped in the air, landing on its feet with a heavy thud that jarred all of its occupants pretty badly. They all had to climb back into their seats, but by the time they succeeded they were already being hammered to the ground by the shadows again. The machine slammed into the ground hard, sending up a thick plume of dust and smoke.  
  
"Clover. Don't take this personally. But your fighting robot here sucks." Sam quipped.  
  
"That's why we're not fighting anymore." Clover replied. "We're going for Alex." The machine lurched to its feet and took off in a sprint down the road they'd landed on. It ran as fast as it could, and for a moment it looked like they'd lost their pursuers in the cloud of dust and smoke. But suddenly they streaked out of the cloud, holding hands like a string of cutout paper dolls as they came up on the robot.  
  
"Watch it!" Sam shouted too late. The string slammed into the robot's neck, cutting straight through it like a guillotine. The body plunged to the ground while the head rolled down the body, shaking up the three trapped teenagers until they slammed into the street. Mandy, Clover, and Sam found themselves on the roof of the cockpit, staring out at the shadows as they hovered close.  
  
Clover slapped her hands over Sam and Mandy's mouths, watching with bated breath as the shadows hovered down toward the severed head. They seemed to examine it for a few moments, then they turned to streak away from the downed robot. Clover sighed in relief and pushed herself up to her hands and knees. "That was really close..."  
  
"Clover!" Sam threw herself into her friend's arms, giving her a sturdy hug with a smile on her face. They were allowed to catch up now that the immediate danger had passed. "God I was afraid you were dead or something... I'm so sorry I abandoned you like I did..." Pulling back again and getting a good look, Sam was surprised to see that Clover hadn't changed a bit, where she and Mandy had definitely lost a bit of muscle mass from malnourishment.  
  
"Hey, old news." Clover smiled slightly, but it didn't seem very genuine. "Honestly, after all this, I wish I went with you."  
  
"What do you mean? What's been happening?" Sam asked curiously. Clover waved the question aside nervously, then looked over at Mandy. She seemed to be growing huffy at seeing them hug like they were.  
  
"A better question is... what is SHE doing here?" Clover jerked her thumb back at Mandy. Mandy huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, giving Clover the glare of death from the days before He had taken over.  
  
"That's a long story too..." Sam blushed slightly. "Let's find a way out of this head first, okay?" Clover and Mandy nodded. It felt so strange, being reunited with her best friend now. And apparently they were going to find Alex. The WOOHP spies reunited again... it seemed too good to be true in this damned age. But time would tell.

* * *

Alice watched Professor Utonium sit in one of the small chairs in his tent while she stood at the entrance. At this point, it was only a matter of time before the shadows returned to wipe out the little resistance they'd gathered here. Perhaps that was why they'd sent Clover away in the DyNaMo. If she had remained here, she would have been attacked too. As it was maybe she could get away.  
  
"Are we finished here Professor?" Alice asked softly. Professor Utonium looked over at her from his contemplation. "Have we done everything we could? Was it all just not enough?" She asked. Professor Utonium stared at her, then sighed and walked up to her.  
  
"Quite simply, yes." He told her softly. "He has all six of the boys and girls under his power... we can't stop them, and there are no weapons powerful enough to take Him out." Alice closed her eyes and nodded, accepting the inevitable.  
  
"I thought so..." She looked away from him, staring out across the small settlement outside of Townsville. The small sea of children were gathered around the few remaining adults. Her hands slid to her abdomen as she realized her own child would be among them in a few months, if she lived that long.  
  
She felt his arms slide around her shoulders, pulling her into a strong, comforting hug from behind. Alice leaned against him, putting her hands over his on her chest. Looking up, they could see six shadows approaching through the sky. They moved slowly, as if they knew they prey couldn't escape no matter what they did. And they were right.  
  
"Don't worry... close your eyes..." He whispered softly in her ear. Alice nodded and closed her eyes, letting the rhythm of his breath press into her back. She could hear the initial screams of fear and terror, all high-pitched children's cries, but his fingers brushing over her cheeks helped relax her even as she could hear the final piece of sanity in the world crumble to dust.  
  
Explosions, screams, sickening thuds, none of it registered anymore as she let the Professor's embrace carry her away from it all. To a world where she sat on the lush green grass, holding her newborn child close to her chest. She could feel its breath on her cheek... she could see its emerald green eyes staring up into hers as it cooed and laughed without a care in the world.  
  
She could feel the Professor holding onto her from behind, sitting with her in the glade. The wind washed over them both, carrying her child's laughter far away toward places that perhaps had never heard it before. She could feel her child's heart... right up until, suddenly, she could feel nothing at all.

* * *

Clover took a deep breath when they finally emerged from the confines of DyNaMo's severed head. It had taken them several hours to pry the damn thing open so that they could clamber to the streets. They were all sweating under the heat of the crimson sun, but Clover more than the others since she was still wearing her red WOOHP jumpsuit. It was made even worse by the fact that she hadn't showered in a little over a month.  
  
"Well, that giant robot didn't last very long at all did it?" Mandy quipped as she plopped down on the road, panting from their exertions. "Guess they just don't make 'em like they used to."  
  
Sam smiled and looked over at Clover, who was standing by the side of the road, looking around. "So Clover, you said something about finding Alex out here. Do you know where she is?" She asked. Clover didn't respond, staring out across the open plains they'd landed in the middle of. "Clover?"  
  
"She is out here somewhere..." Clover replied softly. "But I have no clue where we are, let alone where she is." She reached into her belt and pulled out a compowder. "Jerry gave me another one before I left." She explained as she flipped it open. She blinked when she saw nothing but static reflected in her screen. "Jerry, come on. Pick up."  
  
"Maybe he can't..." Sam said softly. Clover tapped her screen a few more times before slowly sliding the compowder back into her belt. She looked over at Sam, who was leaning against the DyNaMo's head. "You know... this thing's power systems don't seem to be in the head... if... if we can attach different controls to the body..."  
  
"And then do what with it?" Clover snapped more sharply than she'd intended. "They whipped it when it was in top shape! There's nothing we could do with it!" She growled and closed her eyes tightly. "God I wish that stupid red sun would go the fuck AWAY!" She screamed to the sky, clenching her fists tightly at her sides.  
  
"Oh shut up Clover!" Mandy snapped. "I WAS in a good mood before you had to drop in and remind us how hopeless everything is! Me and Sam were happy!"  
  
"You were happy because you're an idiot!" Clover snapped back. Mandy shoved herself to her feet and stormed up to face Clover.  
  
"You're the idiot, dwelling on the hopeless instead of moving on with life!" Mandy screamed. They looked like they were about to come to blows, but Sam was too distracted to break it up.  
  
Sam stared up at the shining crimson ball that perpetually hung in the sky now. She quirked one eyebrow, staring up at it. "The sun..." She muttered softly. Clover and Mandy both looked over at her in surprise, but she didn't notice, still staring at the sun. "Since He took everything over, the sun has been changing..."  
  
"Uh, no shit Sammy, did you just figure that out?" Clover snapped.  
  
"Don't talk to Sammykins that way!" Mandy shouted.  
  
"Back off!" Clover screamed. Finally Sam moved between them, pushing them away from each other.  
  
"Don't you see? As his power grew the sun changed. His powers must be linked to it somehow. If we can cut that off, maybe it'll be enough to take Him down." Sam told them. Clover and Mandy both stared at her incredulously.  
  
"You're suggesting we destroy the sun?" Mandy asked. "Wouldn't that, you know, destroy everything else in the solar system!?"  
  
"Not destroy it, cut Him off from it. Maybe weaken him. Perhaps if we can weaken the power he gets from it, he'll lose his control over the 'boys and 'girls." Sam told them logically.  
  
"Let's say we thought this was a halfway plausible idea..." Clover said. "How do we do that? We don't have a space shuttle handy, or the power to pull it off if we did." She pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, we'd might as well try to drain the magma out of the Earth's core." Mandy agreed with Clover for perhaps the first time in their lives. Sam grabbed both of their heads and turned them toward the beheaded DyNaMo. They blinked as they finally realized it could be done, if it were possible for them to fix the thing. It could take a long time... but as if it mattered how long they took. Anything was worth a try.  
  
"The first order of business in getting this thing repaired is supplies. Two of us should head into the nearest town we can find and raid any supply and electronic stores we can fine. We're going to need materials and wiring to make this thing space worthy and controllable." Sam was all business when she pulled away from the other two girls, looking back at them.  
  
"I'll head into town with you Sammy. Clover can stay with this... thing." Mandy smirked, giving Clover a sidelong glare. It almost warmed Sam's heart to see the two high-school rivals at each other's throats again. It seemed like the only thing from the 'old world' that hadn't changed.  
  
"Wait, why should I stay with the DyNaMo? Why can't Mandy stay with it?" Clover complained.  
  
"Because you're a better fighter than she is." Sam reminded her. "If anyone tries to steal any of the robot's pieces, you could fight them off. She couldn't. Besides, it's YOUR robot." Clover growled and turned away from them in a huff.  
  
"Fine, I'll stay behind and guard the junk pile while you two run off to find whatever we need to get this thing up and running again." Clover gave up. "But if you're not back in two days I'm coming after you."  
  
"Fine. Do you have anything to eat or drink as long as you're out here?" Sam asked.  
  
"I have some canteens and cans in the head over there. I can hold out." Clover replied.  
  
"Good. We'll grab food while we're gone. Come on Mandy." Sam gestured for Mandy to follow her as she started walking along the road to the east. Mandy rushed after her, wrapping one of her arms around Sam's as they walked, almost taunting Clover to challenge her on it. Clover growled and walked back to the DyNaMo's head, leaning against it and staring up at the blood red sun overhead. She couldn't help but wonder where Alex was, but if they could put a stop to Him, she could find Alex when the danger was past.

* * *

Alex had the gas pedal floored, flying down the highway in her Ford convertible. She had a blank stare in her eyes, after several days of traveling alone, she'd managed to stop several of His followers in their plans. The car and her clothes were covered in dried blood, along with the two-foot long dagger she'd picked up at a specialty store along the way.  
  
She remembered Clover's last words... she remembered her last request before she, too, had left Alex alone. Kill them all... they were all following Him. They all had to be stopped if she ever wanted to see her friends again... if she ever wanted to hold someone again.  
  
She slammed her foot on the brakes, staring out across the plains she'd been driving across. She could see a shining silver mound in the distance, reflecting the sun's red rays. Maybe there were people there... more of His minions, doing his bidding. She would have to find out... and stop whatever they were planning...  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	13. Black Hole Sun

Part 13: Black Hole Sun

Sam and Mandy stumbled slightly as they continued the march down the long highway toward whatever lay at the end. Their hands stayed clasped between them as they walked, leaning against each other for both comfort and strength. They'd brought only minimal rations because they were closer to whatever food lay at the end of this road, while Clover would have to wait for their return.

"Why are we out here...?" Mandy mumbled into Sam's ear softly, looking over at her with a piercing gaze. "Can't we just take a car and drive away or something? Leave and never look back..."

"No... we can't." Sam replied softly. "Clover's depending on us. And the world is counting on us if we can pull this off."

"But we're not mechanics or scientists." Mandy complained. "How are we supposed to repair that kind of machine?"

"The best we can." Sam replied simply. Her hand squeezed Mandy's tightly as she looked into her deep, violet eyes. Mandy stared back as they stumbled up to the top of a small hill. They both looked ahead at the same time to see a large city looming ahead of them. It was full of bodies, cars, buildings, and most surprisingly, a few living people were visible from the highway.

"Come on... we're almost there." Sam marched down the other side of the hill, pulling Mandy along behind her.

Clover lounged on the pavement with a bored sigh, popping open one of her canteens and taking a long swig before pouring some of its contents over her face. The heat was blazing, despite the fact that they should have been entering autumn by now. She closed the canteen and let it fall to the street, enjoying the soft breeze that swept across her now dripping wet face.

Idly she wondered how long she would have to wait. It had already been a day and half... it seemed like anyway. The sun didn't move from the sky anymore, so the concept of day and night had begun to fade into nothing but a blissful memory. She hoped Sam was right about the sun being part of His power... then she could finally get a good night's sleep.

Smirking, she rolled to her side. She perked up however when she heard a soft scuffling sound behind the DyNaMo's head. She remained perfectly still, listening intently for any more noise. It came a moment later, even closer... the sound of metal scraping across the pavement. Suddenly heavy footsteps broke into a run toward her, a feral scream floating through the air.

Clover rolled to her back and raised one leg, blocking her attacker's strike at the wrist with her knee. Her arm snatched the loosened blade from her attacker, and she kicked the figure back with her other leg before rolling easily to her feet, gripping the blade in one hand. Her eyes went wide when she saw Alex staring at her with side, wild eyes. She was covered in dry blood almost head to foot.

"Alex? What are you doing? It's me, Clover! Your friend!" Clover shouted, backing away from her bone-thin friend.

"No! You're all His minions... you all have to die!" Alex lunged again, grabbing for the dagger in Clover's hand.

"Sorry!" Clover slammed her high-heeled boot into Alex's stomach, knocking the air out of her with one kick and doubling her over on the ground. Alex coughed and clutched her stomach painfully, tears washing down her bloodstained face. Clover walked up to her side, staring down at her sadly. "Alex... Alex it's me. The REAL Clover." She knelt down beside her Latino friend.

"I don't have any friends left! They're all gone!" Alex threw herself forward with surprising strength for someone with the frame of a zombie. Clover was tackled to the ground, her grip loosening on the dagger long enough for Alex to get a hold of it.

Alex brought the blade down toward Clover's forehead, but she raised her arms in an 'X' pattern, deflecting the blade toward the street by her head. Sparks flew as the steel blade slammed into the pavement. Clover grabbed her wrist and twisted it back over Alex's head, forcing her up lest she get her arm broken.

"Alex please!" Clover leaned against her young friend, wrapping her free arm around her and resting her head on her shoulder. "I'm real... I'm Clover and I'm real." She could feel Alex shudder in her embrace, her fist tightening around the hilt of the dagger. "I'm not with Him... he was using me to mess with you... I'm so sorry Alex..."

"No... Clover said..."

"I say... please let me be your friend again. Come back to me Alex." Clover whispered softly. She felt Alex's tense body loosen somewhat under her embrace, until finally the dagger tumbled to the street from limp fingers. Clover let go of Alex's wrist and the younger girl wrapped her arms tightly around her, burying her face in her shoulder.

"I... I'm sorry... I didn't want to be alone..." Alex sobbed into her shoulder, her shoulders shuddering with each heavy breath. Clover stroked her back gently, smiling as tears ran down her own cheeks. The smell of blood almost made her gag, but she was too glad to have her friend back to care.

"I know Alex..." Clover told her friend. "You're forgiven..." She held her friend tightly, squeezing her eyes shut to try to hold back the waterfall that threatened to emerge. She'd done this to her friend... she'd listened to herself manipulate and torture her beyond imagination. She could never really make it up to her... comfort was all she had to give.

Sam and Mandy marched into the city they'd found, keeping careful eyes out for any hostile survivors. They moved down the street, holding each others' hands. Soon they found a large green pickup truck parked by the side of the road. "Hey, we could use this to haul supplies back to the DyNaMo thingy." Mandy commented, approached the driver's side door.

"Do you have the keys?" Sam asked. Mandy pulled the door open and climbed inside. She sighed as she pulled out again, shaking her head. "Too bad, guess we'll have to bypass them." Sam climbed into the driver's seat and grabbed a small knife off the bottom of the truck, prying the ignition off of the steering wheel.

Mandy blinked when the truck roared to life. "How did you learn to hotwire a truck?" Mandy demanded.

"I was a spy remember? I have to be able to bypass pretty much any kind of security. Now hop in, let's look for the supplies we need." Sam pulled her door shut and put her seatbelt on. Mandy had a strange look on her face, but climbed in the passenger's side anyway.

They took off through the city until they found a large electronics store, and since they needed a whole lot of electronics to put a new controller on the DyNaMo, it only made sense for them to pull up and head inside. They walked inside the store, surprised to find that it was relatively intact inside. They supposed people must have rushed for food more than electronics when the world went to Hell.

"So... what do we need exactly?" Mandy asked, walking up and down the rows of wires.

"For one thing, some controls." Sam grabbed several keyboards off the shelves, stuffing them into a basket she'd picked up at the front of the store. "You just grab all of the wires you can find." So Mandy set about throwing random wiring into the basket, making sure to get at least two of everything to make sure they wouldn't have to make a return trip.

When they'd loaded up on electronics they tossed them in the back of the truck and headed to a nearby home repair store. Mandy whimpered as they walked inside.

"We're hauling one big piece of steel out of here aren't we?"

"The robot has to be sealed tight enough to stand the vacuum of space. Nothing less will do." Sam explained as they marched toward the metal section. Mandy sighed and followed behind her. Soon they strained and grunted trying to haul an eight by six foot piece of quarter inch thick solid steel out to the truck. It dragged most of the way, but Sam assured her it would be fine if they could get it to work.

"There we go. That should do it." Sam stated as she dropped a small variety of power tools and batteries into the flatbed with their wires, keyboards, and steel plate.

"Now we find food?" Mandy asked pathetically. She could feel her stomach growling in desperation after dragging the unbelievably heavy piece of steel along the ground.

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, come on there has to be something left." Sam climbed into the truck with Mandy climbing in the other side before they took off down the street. Finally they pulled up in front of an Albertsons and climbed out of their truck, walking inside.

"Whew... that stinks..." Mandy held her nose against the stench of rotted and moldy food that permeated the air.

"Come on... can section." Sam pulled Mandy toward the canned foods isle, looking for anything that might have kept for the last month or so. Their hearts dropped when they saw that all of the cans were gone. "Well... I guess it had to happen eventually..."

"Come on... let's try another store." Mandy suggested. So they cruised around the city, searching store after store with similar results. There wasn't any edible food left... it had all been sucked dry by those survivors that remained amid the rubble of their former lives. Mandy grew increasingly desperate, while Sam just sighed and shook her head.

"We're running out of time here. We could die of hunger looking for food. But if we hurry we might be able to finish this before we get too weak." Sam said.

"But won't we still die of hunger whether we kill Him or not?" Mandy asked.

"Possibly..." Sam replied truthfully, looking over at her with a gentle gaze. "But don't sweat it... at least we'll go out on our own terms instead of just sitting around waiting to die." She gripped Mandy's hand tightly, giving it a firm squeeze. Mandy stared at her sadly, but nodded and squeezed back gently.

"Okay... let's go." Mandy and Sam turned to leave the last store they'd found in the city. With the truck they could reach the DyNaMo in a fraction of the time it had taken them to reach the city. Then they could rebuild it, send it into the sun, and pray that it did what Sam thought it would do.

Clover and Alex were sitting on the sidewalk holding each other when Clover spotted a small green truck approaching from the direction Sam and Mandy had gone. Sure enough, they climbed out when they reached the robot, hauling a bunch of supplies with them. Sam stopped when she saw Alex, her eyes going wide. Whether from joy at seeing her friend or the shock of seeing her covered in blood, Clover couldn't tell.

"Alex?" Sam exclaimed, dashing toward her friend and wrapping her up in a tight hug. "Oh my God! You're alive too! We're all together again, all the WOOHP girls!" Sam grinned.

"Yeah..." Alex replied less than enthusiastically. The fire that had burned so long in her eyes before this disaster seemed to have been completely extinguished by now. Drowned by torture, confusion, and hatred for those who'd put her through all of this. This fact didn't escape anyone's notice, but nobody was about to say anything.

"Come on Mandy... we should go ahead and get started." Sam stated. Mandy nodded and pulled their supplies out of the truck, following her to the DyNaMo to begin wiring up the new controls inside the robot's chest. They knew the danger of being electrocuted was very real. They didn't know how to turn off the power, so every one of these wires was very much a live wire.

But thankfully, all of the control wires were in the neck since the controls had been in the head, so they didn't have to go in too far. Sam spent the next several days trying to figure out if she could possibly get the keyboards to work with this mammoth machine. Meanwhile their food supply slowly drained with four mouths to feed, though thankfully they had plenty of water.

"Why do I feel like I'm on the raft again..." Alex muttered one day, staring up at the blood red sky. "Drifting uncontrollably against my will toward nothing..." Clover couldn't think of any way to comfort her friend. She felt the same way honestly... their lives were in Sam's only somewhat capable hands.

Capable they were however. Finally Sam managed to get the letter Q on one of the keyboards to cause the DyNaMo's arm to twitch spastically. It wasn't much, but it proved that with a lot of experimentation and fine-tuning, the keyboards could indeed control the massive machine. But she was only human, and she occasionally had to stop to rest and drink some water. Their food had, by then, run out.

Sam lay on the ground several hours after her achievement, staring up at the sky when Mandy approached and sat down beside her. "Do you think there's actually any way this can work?" Mandy asked softly, staring down at her. "Even with this thing up and running... how would we get it to the sun...?" She stared into Sam's eyes deeply.

"Simple..." Sam replied softly. "Someone will have to fly it there... and release the DyNaMo's energy manually once they're close enough..." Mandy shook her head and put her hand on Sam's chest over her heart.

"You're not thinking of going yourself are you?" She asked. They both knew whoever went on this last mission was never going to come back.

"If I have to... I will." Sam said softly. Mandy frowned and sighed, leaning down to rest her cheek against Sam's shoulder. They wrapped their arms around each other. It might be a while before the DyNaMo worked well enough to consider any flights... but it was only a matter of time.

After discovering the appropriate wiring methods, progress on the controls sped up the next day. Sam managed to wire several more keys to cause certain limb responses, such as the Q moving the right arm forward and the W moving the right arm backward. It would be endlessly complicated and cumbersome to pilot, but they only had to point the robot in the right direction.

Alex pent her time watching Sam work on the controls, while Clover spent her time in the relative shade underneath DyNaMo's severed and useless head. Mandy never left Sam's side, following her just about everywhere she went. Sam spent every waking moment working on the controls, trying to ignore her growling and empty stomach.

Alex looked down as her stomach howled to be filled with something more solid than a canteen of water. She could still remember everything she'd done over the last month and a half... all the time she'd spent on the ocean... all the people she'd killed since finally emerging from the ocean back into her homeland. She'd thought they were working for Him... Clover told her so... but now Clover told her she'd been lying...

It was too confusing. Who was Clover? Which one was the fake one? She could touch this Clover, could feel her and smell her, but somehow she still seemed less real than the one who'd stayed with her after her ocean journey. She didn't know... even Sam and Mandy seemed less real... the only thing she did know for sure was that she hated Him.

Finally Sam had the DyNaMo working well enough to maneuver it through space, including the different thruster jets each linked to a different key on one of the keyboards. She called everyone together in front of the headless monster, looking around at everyone. "Okay everyone... it's decision time. Someone has to fly this thing... and I know it should be..."

"Make it me." Clover stepped forward instantly. "This place is totally depressing, I'd rather go someplace interesting than hang around here."

"Yeah, make it her!" Mandy exclaimed, jamming her fingers at Clover. "You heard her! She's tired of life!"

"Mandy... I have to do this myself." Sam told her softly.

"No you don't." Alex shocked every by marching up to Sam with a cold glare, the blood that still covered her body making the scene even more frightening. "I'm killing Him." She said simply, as if it was a foregone conclusion rather than a decision to be reached. Sam shot a surprised glance at Clover and Mandy, both of whom stood locked in surprise, staring at the deadly fire burning in Alex's brown eyes.

Sam finally nodded, staring into her formerly bubbly friend's hatred. "Okay Alex... climb in and we'll seal you up..." Sam told her. They didn't have the materials to make a door, so they would have to seal the pilot inside with the steel plate. There wouldn't be any escape from the machine once Alex was inside, but from the look of her eyes, escape was the last thing on her mind.

Alex climbed inside with a handful of canteens and several flashlights all shinning on the control panel so she could pilot the thing in the dark mechanical chest cavity. Sam, Mandy and Clover strained to pull the steel plate into place, where Sam pulled out a small blowtorch and proceeded to weld the thing shut.

It was disconcerting, sealing her friend inside of the giant robot like a steel tomb. But Alex didn't flinch or show any fear as she slowly vanished from sight, concealed by the large steel plate that covered up the hole where the robot's neck had previous been. The only means of seeing outside the robot Alex had was through a pair of small windows Sam had punched into the steel plate before welding in the strongest glass she'd been able to find in the city. When she finished, the three remaining teenagers climbed off of the robot, staring up at it.

Clover took out her compowder, tapping into the frequency of the small radio Sam had installed in the DyNaMo's chest. Sam took it from her and spoke into it. "Okay Alex... you're all ready to go." Sam stated. Alex didn't respond, but the robot began to move. Climbing to its feet with jerky, stiff movements. It almost fell right on top of the three girls several times, but Alex managed to keep her balance.

"Alex." Clover grabbed the compowder, speaking into it quickly. "Good luck up there... and for what it's worth, I deserve to be the one in there for everything He made me do to you..." She stated sadly. Still Alex didn't respond as the DyNaMo's jet engines kicked into high gear. The headless robot lifted from the ground, streaking into the sky.

"Goodbye..." Sam and Clover muttered in unison, watching until the robot vanished into the crimson depths above them.

A soft sound set Sam and Clover on alert, looking around quickly for the source of the sound. Mandy screamed when a black shadow emerged from behind the DyNaMo's head, its crimson eyes pulsing almost as if in anticipation. It was quickly joined by five more, all six black shapes moving slowly toward the three remaining girls.

"What are those things?" Mandy exclaimed. Neither Sam nor Clover answered. They were death as far as they were concerned. There was nowhere to run or hide anymore. They must have been watching and waiting for the robot to leave to they could move in and take them out... but then they had to know of Alex's mission.

Alex kept her fingers pressed on the keys that activated the jets, sending the robot hurtling out of the Earth's atmosphere. She watched as the red glow of the Earth's atmosphere gave way to the darkness of deep space. She could see the infinite stars glowing for the first time in she didn't know how long, but in front of her the sun still glowed with that damned crimson color.

IClover leapt forward to fight the shadows, but they easily swept over her, sweeping her aside with one kick that knocked her rolling to the side of the road. She lay unconscious on the gravel as the shadows approached Mandy, who backed away from them fearfully./I

Alex pressed the keys in a sequence that would ready the DyNaMo to expel all of its power, coming closer and closer to the sun. She was sweating furiously as the heat rose to unbearable levels, but she ignored it, intent upon completing the mission she'd chosen to accomplish. She would end this now, no matter what got in her way.

Her eyes went wide when something did indeed get in her way. A massive crimson claw emerged from the sun itself, followed by another. They seemed to grip the sides of the molten star, pulling the rest of the main body out. This wasn't the high-voiced transvestite she remembered from the raft. His body had become massive and coated in darkness, with a pair of black horns emerging from his head. His arms and legs were as thick around as an elephant's entire body, and his eyes glowed with deep crimson hatred.

ISam lunged for Mandy, wrapping her arms around her and yanking her out of the way as the shadows attacked. For a few moments, the three girls put up a valiant effort, but in this wide-open space, the advantage belonged to the fasted. And they were far outmatched./I

"Think you're going to destroy me so easily, little puppet?" He sneered, floating out into space. His voice echoed in her mind, a deep, dark growl that penetrated straight through her body to send a shiver up her hardened spine. "I have existed for millennia... and I will exist for millennia to come. You are nothing but a flickering candle to me."

"You did all this to me... you made me suffer... you made my friends leave... you made me kill..." Alex growled.

IMandy hit the ground with a heavy thud, howling in pain as her knee snapped on impact. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she felt Sam wrap her arms around her again, pulling her close even as the shadows neared. Mandy closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around Sam's neck and burying her face in her shoulder, trying to block out the sight of the approaching darkness./I

"No, girl. You killed those people yourself. My influence had long ended... but you chose to keep killing." He grinned, snapping his claws together in satisfaction. "That blood on your body is your own fault, not mine."

"SHUT UP!" Alex screamed, pressing the keys that would send the DyNaMo hurtling forward. The DyNaMo slammed into the dark creature's chest, but he barely seemed to feel it. One claw reached up and gripped its arm, pulling it away from him. The claw slammed into the robot's stomach, tearing through it as easily as one would punch though a piece of paper.

ISam cried out in pain and slammed into the ground on her back, watching as the shadows swarmed over Mandy first. One of them grabbed her wounded leg, yanking her across the street like a hunter pulling on a cats tail. Mandy screamed in pain, both from her broken knee and her back scraping against the rough gravel./I

Alex grunted as she was knocked around the chest cavity, holding onto the keyboards in front of her so she didn't go flying. The heat from the nearby sun didn't help matters any, she was sweating wildly now and her breath was hard and labored.

"Once again, girl, I have you at my mercy." His voice taunted deep in her mind, leaving behind a searing pain that eclipsed any of the wounds she'd sustained in her life. "But this time, I have no mercy to give." She watched through the small windows as he drew back his crimson claw, aiming it straight for the hole in the DyNaMo's neck where Alex was sitting.

IFinally the shadows turned away from the sobbing Mandy, turning on Sam, who was already crying from watching what they did to Mandy. They floated up to her, one of them grabbing her by the front of her shirt. It lifted her off the ground, holding her suspending above the street as she heard Mandy croak "Sam..."/I

"That's funny... neither do I." Alex pressed down on the controls, causing the DyNaMo's engines to kick into high gear. The robot's arms caught his claw in mid swing, using its momentum to whirl around, yanking Him off balance. She slammed her fist down on the thruster controls, sending them both hurtling toward the sun.

"Fool... the sun cannot hurt me." His voice reminded her gleefully.

ISam grunted as several blows buried themselves into her ribcage, sending her hurtling to the ground. She groaned, opening her eyes painfully and staring up at the shadows. They stared back down at her, their shining crimson eyes almost seeming to enjoy the torture more than following their master's orders. They weren't themselves at all anymore... they were death incarnate.../I

"No... but I can." Alex gasped for breath as the heat began to burn her lungs from the inside. Her skin felt like it would begin bursting outward at any moment even as her fingers flew over the keyboard. The DyNaMo's power stores activated, sending a surge running through the robot. She heard Him scream in her mind as the power ran through his claw, which was still buried in the robot's stomach.

She smiled contentedly at his scream... finally the shoe was on the other foot. But that was all she had time for before the robot's batteries detonated, sending shockwaves surging through both Him and the crimson sun at once. His cry couldn't travel through deep space, nobody could hear him scream as the crimson energy from the sun surged outward, engulfing him with his own power. The backlash sent a surge running through his body. He'd been using the sun as a power store... but now it was cut, and his own body began to burn with the power he'd stored up. His own strength was his weakness.

Sam blinked as the shadow around the six figures began to surge, the energy in their eyes beginning to swirl out of control. The shadow tore from their bodies, vanishing into the air around them. The crimson energy floated into the sky, streaking toward the crimson sun as it began to fluctuate wildly. She watched as the sun itself flickered, growing darker than it should have been.

The six children fell to the ground with dull thuds, bathed in the first starlight the world had seen for over a month. The sun overhead was dim and still fluctuating wildly, occasionally fading to black before shining again with a dim pale glow.

"Sam..." Mandy's voice trembled with pain and fear as she spoke. "Wh... what's happening...?" She struggled to pull herself toward Sam, grunting in pain as her broken knee scraped over the ground. Sam looked at the tears flowing down her cheeks, reaching out and pulling the violet-eyed girl into a tight embrace. Mandy leaned against her. "What happened...?"

Sam looked down at the unconscious Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys, then turned her gaze up to the pale sun overhead. "I... think we won... Alex did it..." She said softly. There was no joy in her voice however. The sun was dark... without its heat, the Earth would slowly begin to freeze over. Out of a fearsome dictatorship... and into a death sentence.

"Good..." Mandy smiled slightly, holding onto Sam tightly. "I... love you Sam. Let's rebuild this world together..." She said softly. Sam looked down at her, the tears running down her cheeks. Mandy didn't seem to realize... or she wouldn't acknowledge... the truth. Well, far be it from her to let it slip now, in their moment of triumph.

"Okay Mandy..." Sam leaned down to kiss her tenderly on the lips, running her hands through Mandy's hair. "We'll spend the rest of our lives together... no matter how long they are..." Her voice cracked as she spoke. Mandy didn't respond, just holding onto her and leaning against her. The human race was finished... but perhaps in time the sun would recover, and the Earth would prosper again with new life.

Sam smiled through her tears, looking up at the sun. Not a death sentence... a cleansing. The universe shrugging off the darkness imposed by Him... to have the light one day return. In her mind's eye she could imagine the light being so beautiful... she wished to see it. But for her, the light she found in Mandy's arms would have to be enough...

THE END 


End file.
